Jade Museum

Not every museum found in La Antigua Guatemala is of colonial historic content, like the Museum of the Indigenous Clothing and the Jade Museum.

The latter opened its doors since 1974 to show unique collectible pieces, as well as Mayan Art replicas created by expert craftsmen. Jade had a special value for the Mayas, a value that transcended to the mystical religious, even more than gold.

Take this to your king

The arrival of the Spaniards and their encounter with the natives in the new world leaves a mark in history with the color of jade, stating its value beyond any jewel. In 1521, Hernan Cortez arrived to the territory looking for gold.

The natives waited for the gods to come, and, by mistake, when they saw the blond hair of the newcomers, they thought they were sent by the divinities. This was a pleasant surprise for Hernan Cortez, who meets with Moctezuma and gets something more valuable than gold: two brilliant beads of imperial jade. “Don’t give this to anyone but your king, each one of these pieces is worth more than two loads of gold”. The ship was attacked by French pirates on its way back to Europe and no one ever knew what happened to these invaluable pieces.

More valuable than gold

The Mayans, as excellent observers of their environment, realized everything around them died or changed, from life in nature to even the rock itself.

However, jade remained immutable, which is nothing strange since its hardness is close to that of the diamond. Because of that, it was immediately associated with the invaluable concept of immortality.

Green jade, found in the region, represented for them the green of nature than was constantly renewed. There are different types of jade: nephrite and jadeite.

This last one, for its properties and hardness, is the most valuable and also the most abundant in Guatemala. The colors vary due to the exposure to other minerals during its formation, being imperial jade the most precious one. This one is light green, very solid, but with a pleasant translucent appearance.

An open door museum

The Jade Museum allows everyone to watch craftsmen working on the stones and turning them into unique collectible jewels.

Location in La Antigua Guatemala Click here and go to the interactive map.

It has a conference room where you can listen to the value and history of this stone since Pre-colonial times.

The size of the group does not matter, there is no minimum to enjoy free talks.

It also has a jewel gallery where you can appreciate the cleverness of the makers, who in a matter of weeks do the work that back then required years, and even complete generations to complete.