gems, jade, pyroxene jade, fei cui, Burma, China, Hetian yu, Chinese jade, nephrite, Mesoamerica, Maya, Mayan, Olmec, history

The contact and solid relationship between Mexico and the People’s Republic of China go back a long way, but even older has been our perception and mutual curiosity regarding the greatness of both civilizations. It would be pointless to attempt to account for the innumerable exchanges that have taken place between the two countries throughout ancient, modern and contemporary history. Rather, I wish to express my genuine admiration for the conceptual and material core of the exhibition Stones of Heaven, Civilizations of Jade, that is, the manner in which it brings together and documents the role jade has played in the cultures of Mesoamerica and China, the appreciation and delicate carving of a mineral that never ceases to attract and amaze us in both regions, and whose very existence continues to astonish our societies. Alfonso de María y Campos Castelló, Director General, National Institute of Anthropology and History.