gems, jade, jadeite, fei cui, Mesoamerica, Mexico, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Mayans, Olmecs, Aztecs, archaeology, history, archaeogemology

Holmes describes a remarkable carved jade statuette discovered in 1902 near San Andrés Tuxtla, Veracruz, Mexico, and subsequently acquired for the United States National Museum. The object, about 16 cm high, represents an anthropomorphic figure with a prominent bird-like bill and wing-like elements, and is covered on several surfaces with incised hieroglyphic signs, including a Long Count date. Holmes discusses the circumstances of its discovery, workmanship, iconography, inscriptions and possible cultural affiliations, regarding it as an unusually important relic of the ancient peoples of the Gulf Coast and tentatively associating it with Maya occupation of the region. The material was identified at the time as nephrite, hence the title of the paper; however, later chemical and optical investigation by Henry S. Washington demonstrated that the statuette is actually jadeite, with a measured density of about 3.270 and a granular jadeite microtexture. The paper is important both as the first detailed description of the celebrated Tuxtla Statuette and as an early contribution to the study of pre-Columbian jade and writing in Mesoamerica.