My wife and I enjoyed our visit to the Jade Museum, which opened in 2014 in downtown San Jose. The Museum is dedicated to preserving Costa Rica's rich archaeological heritage and features the largest collection of pre-Columbian jade artifacts in the world. There are over 7,000 items on display, many dating from 500 to 300 BC.
(Jade Museum)
Jade is a semi-precious stone which is valued because of its green color and partial translucency. Jade varies from a very light green to a rich dark green shade. It's relatively rare but is found throughout Central America. Jade is a hard stone that is difficult to work, and the treasures displayed at the museum required a lot of skill to create in an era of primitive tools.
Some of the jade you'll see at the Museum is crafted as jewelry, but many pieces represent images of animals or figures used for religious rituals. Below are some samples of what we saw....
Many of the jade figures are humanoid in shape, or hybrid human/animals.
Besides jade, there are other works on display including pieces crafted of gold, ceramics, and stone.
(Ceramics associated with jade artifacts, around 500 BC)
(Stone owl carrying an inverted head. Some species of birds were thought to carry souls to the afterlife. Dates to about 1000 AD)
(Vessel used to burn incense during religious ceremonies, around 500 AD)
(Items used in funerals)
Some exhibits demonstrate scenes from ancient tribal life....
There are other works made of natural objects, such as turtle shells and feathers. Not the brilliant green feathers from the headpiece below. These belong to the quetzal.
I close this piece with several pieces of ancient phallic art. part of the Jade Museum's collection.
Overall, an interesting collection that is worth a half day of your time.
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