Maya Jade: Hidden Treasure

Have you ever seen a jade mountain? To be honest, neither have I, but I know they exist.

No, they’re not fantasy mountains, existing only in my writer’s brain. Nor are they a myth, conjured up by contorting history. They are real. I’ve heard the tale. I’ve seen the evidence. But, they didn’t become real to me until a lovely woman from La Casa del Jade in Antigua, Guatemala placed a warm piece of lavender jade in my hand and changed my life.

In the ancient culture, the Maya treasured jade above all other possessions—even gold. The ancients believed the translucent stone was sacred, a gift from the earth, imparted with both power and protection. The most sacred of all jade is Olmec blue—a blue green shade prominent in ancient artifacts. Statues and figurines of Maya gods, death masks, earrings, and neckpieces fill many of the museums’ displays. To further demonstrate the close relationship between the Maya and jade, many skulls with a jade nugget implanted in each tooth, sit alongside other artifacts.

However, there was one big problem with these archaeological specimens—there was no known source for Olmec blue jade. None of the worldwide jade sources produced this specimen. Even with extensive trade routes well into North American (and theoretically into the Far East), the chances of importing this stone were too remote to be a viable theory. Other theories existed: the source was Costa Rica, and it had been depleted; it came from Far East; aliens brought it (love that one).

No one knew; few really cared. From time to time, after a big rain, jade nuggets would show up in the Rio Motagua. Locals screened the river and collected small specimens. Larger rocks or boulders initiated an intense, but brief, flurry of archaeological teams and geologists searching the area with disappointing results.

Then, in the early seventies, an archaeologist, Mary Lou Ridinger, armed with a Sherlock Holmes deductive style, geological data, and a theory, narrowed her search to jaguar country above the Rio Motagua. After months of exploration, she found the remnants of an old road. She followed the road up higher where she discovered a large outcropping of jade. Scattered around the site were tools—ancient tools used to carve jade—left in place centuries before when they abandoned the site. It was as though the miners had simply left for the day.

That visual stayed with me: tools, left behind by a young man who believed he’d be back the next day. A young man who walked away and never returned. Why? Why was this site abandoned so suddenly?

History provided the answer. The Spanish did not value jade—they wanted gold—leaving the mines to the rampant growth of jungle.

The outcropping Mary Lou Ridinger discovered turned into the first four-thousand acre jade quarry in Guatemala. She and her husband Jay, a geologist, had discovered the mother lode of Mesoamerican jade. The jungle curtain hid mountains of jade in an area the size of Rhode Island, for nearly five hundred years. Today, the Ridinger’s have turned this find into an extremely lucrative jade industry, fueling the Guatemalan economy and supporting the indigenous people.

But, there’s more.

In 1998, Hurricane Mitch parked over the Rio Motagua River valley. Days and days of unrelenting rain tore vast chunks of earth from the mountains. Thousands of people were displaced; hundreds were buried under mudslides. The devastation cleared and exposed huge veins of jade. More astounding than the quantity of jade, was the revelation that this jade source produced specimens in colors never before seen—anywhere: Rainbow-colored jade, lavender jade, Olmec blue, red, black, apple green. One of the most remarkable was the discovery of what they call Galactic Gold, black jade shot with precious metals like gold, platinum, and silver. Today, Guatemala is recognized by gemologist and geologists as the source of the finest jade in the world.

The saleswoman ended her tale. She cast her spell, and she knew it. My life changed.

I couldn’t forget the story of the jade mine: the abandoned tools, the mountains, or the people who lived that life. This inspired my first novel, THE JAGUAR GOD AWAKENS. My life in Central America revealed so much rich history. The true-life mysteries of the Maya, ancient and modern, ignited a passion that I’m driven to share. I dedicate my novels as gifts wrapped up engaging and intriguing reads.

What other mysteries are out there? More than you can imagine. For example, did you know that one of the most sacred deities of the ancient Maya was a were-jaguar?

Thanks for visiting my site. Please visit me again for more fascinating and forgotten Maya mysteries and folklore.