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

Gutiérrez Solana presents a systematic study of ceremonial stone objects associated with the Mexica (Aztec), examining their forms, iconography, religious functions, and relationship to ritual practices. The objects include stone representations and implements connected with sacrifice, autosacrifice, offerings, warfare, and the cult of particular deities. Individual pieces are analyzed through comparison with archaeological evidence and representations and descriptions in pre-Hispanic and early colonial sources. Among the objects discussed are zacatapayolli associated with bloodletting, as well as other carved stone implements and ritual forms. The study places these objects within Mexica religious symbolism rather than treating them simply as sculpture, providing an extensive illustrated corpus for understanding the material equipment of Aztec ceremonial life. Later scholarship continues to cite the book for individual ritual objects and their interpretation.