gems, jade, Mesoamerica, early art, Maya, Olmec, Aztec, pyroxene jade, jadeite, fei cui, Mexico

A short archaeological note by Gumesindo Mendoza on a small Aztec figure discovered in a tetel or burial mound at Ixcaquixtla, Puebla. Mendoza was struck by features of the figure that he considered reminiscent of Chinese or Buddhist representations, particularly its posture and facial appearance, and used it to support then-current speculation about possible ancient contacts between Asia and the peoples of the Americas. He also compares certain Mexican funerary practices with those of Asia. The paper is significant less for its conclusions—which reflect speculative nineteenth-century diffusionist ideas—than as an early example of comparative interpretation in Mexican archaeology and the search for trans-Pacific connections in pre-Columbian material culture.