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A Mother Lode Of Jade Solves Maya Mystery
Seattle PI ^ | 5-22-2002 | William J. Broad

Posted on 05/24/2002 7:14:54 AM PDT by blam

A mother lode of jade solves Maya mystery

Hurricane exposes ancient mines

Wednesday, May 22, 2002

By WILLIAM J. BROAD THE NEW YORK TIMES

For half a century, scholars have searched for the source of the jade that the early civilizations of the Americas prized above all else and fashioned into precious objects of worship, trade and adornment.

The searchers found some clues to the source of jadeite, as the precious rock is known, for the Olmecs and Mayas. But no lost mines came to light.

Now, scientists exploring the wilds of Guatemala say they have found the mother lode -- a mountainous region roughly the size of Rhode Island strewn with huge jade boulders, other rocky treasures and signs of ancient mining. It was discovered after a hurricane tore through the landscape and exposed the veins of jade, some of which turned up in stores, arousing the curiosity of scientists.

The find includes large outcroppings of blue jade, the gemstone of the Olmecs, the mysterious people who created the first complex culture in pre-Columbian Mesoamerica, which encompasses much of Mexico and Central America. It also includes an ancient mile-high road of stone that runs for miles through dense forests.

The deposits rival the world's leading source of mined jade today, in Myanmar, formerly Burma, the experts say.

The implications for history, archaeology and anthropology are just starting to emerge.

For one thing, the scientists say, the find suggests that the Olmecs, who flourished on the southern Gulf Coast of Mexico, exerted wide influence in the Guatemalan highlands as well.

"We were thunderstruck," said George Harlow, a jade specialist at the American Museum of Natural History. "This is the big one."

In part, the discovery is a result of the devastating storm that hit Central America in 1998, killing thousands and touching off floods and landslides that exposed old veins and washed jade into river beds.

Prospectors picked up the scraps, which found their way into Guatemalan shops and, eventually, to astonished scientists.

"'Lordy,' I said, 'this is Olmec type,'" recalled Russell Seitz, who decades earlier directed a jade hunt in Guatemala for the Peabody Museum at Harvard. "Where did it come from?"

Led by Seitz and local jade hunters, scientists scoured the forested ravines of the Guatemalan highlands for more than two years.

In the end the scientists made a series of discoveries culminating in bus-size boulders of Olmec blue jade, some astride creeks.

"It kept getting better and better," said Virginia Sisson, a geologist at Rice University, who has recently examined jades in Myanmar as well as Guatemala. The blue jade, she said, "is all over the hillsides."

The exact location is not being given, to protect the site.


TOPICS: News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: epigraphyandlanguage; godsgravesglyphs; guatemala; jade; maya; mayans; mystery; olmec; olmecs; shang
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1 posted on 05/24/2002 7:14:55 AM PDT by blam
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To: callisto;RightWhale;Ernest_at_the_Beach;Ditter;jrushing;wordsmith;farmfriend;LostTribe
FYI, (Article compliments of callisto)
2 posted on 05/24/2002 7:20:54 AM PDT by blam
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To: Have Ruck - Will Travel
Bump.
3 posted on 05/24/2002 7:22:27 AM PDT by blam
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To: blam
In the end the scientists made a series of discoveries culminating in bus-size boulders of Olmec blue jade, some astride creeks.

Wow. That would be something to see. Too bad there's no pictures yet.

And the location ain't gonna be a secret for long...

4 posted on 05/24/2002 7:24:14 AM PDT by general_re
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To: White Mountain;some hope remaining;scottiewottie;cubicle guy;
CTR
5 posted on 05/24/2002 7:28:31 AM PDT by restornu
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To: blam
Blue jade? I would love to see some. Wonder if they will continue to let it reach the market?
6 posted on 05/24/2002 7:28:55 AM PDT by farmfriend
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To: blam
We saw the Olmec heads when we were in Villahermosa. It's astounding that they found the source of the jade after all these centuries.
7 posted on 05/24/2002 7:51:35 AM PDT by Catspaw
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To: blam
I can't wait to hear more about the archaeological findings that they are sure to uncover. I think modern archaeologists underestimate the degree of knowledge achieved by earlier civilizations and hopefully they will discover some interesting artifacts that will lead them to a more complete understanding of their knowledge and life.
8 posted on 05/24/2002 7:54:02 AM PDT by callisto
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To: callisto
Wasn't it just recently that there was another big find of a Mayan site when an archeologist hiked into an area in Guatamela, found nothing, was leaning back on *something*--and that *something* turned out to be part of a ancient Mayan wall.

My only regret when we were camping around the Yucatan and southern Mexico is that we didn't have enough time (like another three months) to go into Guatamela to see more Mayan ruins.

9 posted on 05/24/2002 8:36:28 AM PDT by Catspaw
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To: Catspaw
I believe this may be what you are referring to...
Oldest Intact Maya Mural Found in Guatemala
10 posted on 05/24/2002 8:55:17 AM PDT by callisto
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To: farmfriend
I have many Jade pieces, and am anxiously awaiting the arrival of "Blue Jade". "Merry Christmas"...to me...:~)

When will it arrive? Just as soon as Home Shopping Network or QVC can get their paws on it!

sw

11 posted on 05/24/2002 9:10:41 AM PDT by spectre
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To: callisto
That's the one. It's a tremendous find.
12 posted on 05/24/2002 9:13:01 AM PDT by Catspaw
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To: Catspaw
The image of the mural is very impressive. I can only imagine how beautiful it will look after they've removed the mud from the walls. I'll have to keep an eye out for more info related to this find and the "Olmec blue" jade.
13 posted on 05/24/2002 9:30:10 AM PDT by callisto
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To: blam
You'd think they would have found everything by now. If we could see through the top 10 feet of earth all over the planet, what would we find?
14 posted on 05/24/2002 9:46:12 AM PDT by RightWhale
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To: RightWhale
If we could see through the top 10 feet of earth all over the planet, what would we find?

...the match to that tennis shoe you saw on the side of the expressway, the sock that disappeared from your dryer. The possibilities are endless....

15 posted on 05/24/2002 9:51:35 AM PDT by Hot Tabasco
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To: RightWhale
The good stuff is underwater. (submerged cities from the Ice Age floods)
16 posted on 05/24/2002 10:03:11 AM PDT by blam
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To: Catspaw
The Olmec And The Shang
17 posted on 05/24/2002 10:28:04 AM PDT by blam
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To: blam
Olmec appear to have been from Ethiopia, which itself was much larger at the time. Not sure of the source, possibly Graham Hancock.
18 posted on 05/24/2002 10:32:23 AM PDT by RightWhale
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To: RightWhale
If we could see through the top 10 feet of earth all over the planet, what would we find?

Chandra Lev...oh, nevermind they already found her.

Under my lawn we would find lots of rocks, buried in a very shallow grave. I wish they had been buried deeper.

19 posted on 05/24/2002 10:39:15 AM PDT by Some hope remaining.
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To: blam
I just finished Catastrophe. It was quite enjoyable. The author appears to make a good case for the explosive volcanic eruption in the southwest Pacific. for the mid 6th century event. However, he seems to completely miss the evidence, presented in From Exodus to Arthur, for an extraterrestial component to the worldwide climatic disaster.
20 posted on 05/24/2002 10:39:57 AM PDT by aruanan
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