ABSTRACT
The hardness and rarity of jade made it a valuable tool stone and gemstone in the past. Jade was especially symbolic for ancient Mesoamerican peoples because of its green-blue color, which represented fertility and the vital essence of life (Taube 2005). For these reasons, I begin by describing the properties of jadeite and the conditions under which it forms. I then describe the manufacturing sequence for jade goods using archaeological evidence from the site of Cancuen. Ethnohistorical and ethnographic accounts of jade working communities in other parts of Mesoamerica and Asia provide an important interpretive lens for understanding these data. The Cancuen dataset is unique in its large size. Fully 3,538 jade artifacts, with a combined mass of 91.6 kilograms, were recovered from residential excavations at the site. Of these, 3,380 pieces represent the early stages of production and were recovered from simple, earthen mounds in patio groups with limestone laja exterior patio oors. In contrast, ownership of nished products, such as carved jade plaques, earares, and large beads, seems to have been limited to the residents of masonry structures that often feature vaulted tombs or cyst graves: markers of high status at the site. Despite the large amount of jade present in more humble structures, artifact nishing seems to have been carried out by residents of elite households. I use the word “segmented” to describe a manufacturing sequence in which certain production tasks were performed by distinct social groups. I argue that the segmented manufacturing sequence of jade artifacts at Cancuen represents the authoritative and allocative power of the elite, who restricted use and nal stage production through a monopoly of certain types of technology and esoteric cultural knowledge. Sumptuary laws also
may have played a role. Nevertheless, small beads, caches, and termination rituals at more humble households suggest that commoners had some access to jade and that their involvement in the production of jade ornaments was part of their social identity, even if they could not own particular types of nal products. What is Jade?
