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

Since the first documentation of jade sources carried out by Robert Leslie at Manzanotal in 1952, it has been known that the Central Motagua Valley in Guatemala is a region with a significant presence of jadeite (Foshag and Leslie 1955). At present, large quantities of jadeite are being collected from different sources located on the north side of the Motagua River, among them those in the lower course of the La Palmilla River and other areas near Río Hondo (Figure 1, Figure 2, Figure 3, Figure 4 and Figure 5; and Appendix, Figure 1, Figure 2 and Figure 3). Most of this material is transported to the city of Antigua, where it is worked into jewellery and sculptures intended for the tourist trade.