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

To date, only a single jade workshop has been found at Cancuén, and it presents evidence of the earliest stages in the production of beads and earrings. Nevertheless, many questions remain unresolved regarding the organization of jade production at the site. In this study, we address this issue beginning with the jade objects recovered throughout Cancuén. We demonstrate a great typological variety among the jade objects, as well as a diversity of distinct operational sequences in their production. This information, compared with analyses supported by geochemical data (PIXE, XRD, and Raman) conducted on samples obtained from Cancuén artefacts, shows that an important portion of the jade artefacts from the site originated from other workshops rather than from the famous Cancuén workshop.