gems, jade, jadeite, fei cui, Mesoamerica, Mexico, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Mayans, Olmecs, Aztecs, archaeology, history, archaeogemology, Pre-Columbian jade; Costa Rica; Maya; exchange; iconography, lapidary

With their massive platforms and frequently elaborate superstructures, temples are among the defining images of the ancient Maya. Whether to house the gods or the honoured dead, these imposing structures form the core and centre of Maya sites, serving as pivotal links between the living and the divine. In addition, temple buildings are not only some of the earliest public architecture known for the ancient Maya but also the initial focus of complex art, whether in the form of massive platform masks or stone monuments directly oriented to the buildings. But despite the central role of the temple in ancient Maya society and culture, there has been relatively little interest in its underlying function and meaning. The basic metaphoric theme explored in this study is the temple as a house, both as a dwelling place of gods and as a model of the universe. The symbolism of the three-stone hearth constitutes an essential theme of temple ritual and imagery. As symbols of the axis mundi, hearths in the form of temple censers served as a means of conjuring and communicating with the divine. It will be seen that the Classic Maya elite elevated the humble domestic hearth into a precious symbol of royal power. The jade Jester God, a major emblem of Maya kings, evoked the concepts of the hearth and world centre. At sites such as Toniná, Quiriguá, and Copán, Maya rulers portrayed themselves in terms of temples and their attendant urns—that is, as sacred, pivotal intermediaries between supernatural beings and the mortal plane.