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

Nationalist narratives identify Mexico’s foundations with the lithic vestiges left behind by the Olmec. Inspired by the title of one of Irina Podgorny’s most recent books, this article examines the history of the so-called Kunz axe, a pre-Hispanic jade artifact that sparked debates about the origin of ancient American civilizations. Following the object’s trajectory, this article explores the networks of collectors, antiquities dealers, and high-class jewelers who, at the end of the 19th century, forged the spaces and language for studying, collecting, consuming, and exhibiting pre-Hispanic jades, decades before their consecration as the highest achievements of Mexico’s past.