Framed Cast MAYAN JADE HUMMINGBIRD AMULET 100AD Mexico

Material:
Bird: Simulated jade resin
Frame: SHADOW BOX
         Wooden Frame with double 
         matting, under glass
         with engraved brass plate  

This exact reproduction was molded directly  from the original ceremonial jade figure using a unique, patent pending technology which exactly duplicates the object without risking direct contact.  This guarantees the safety and integrity of the original antiquity while permitting an exact duplicate to be produced.   The technique perfectly  reproduces the original artifact down to the finest tool marks made by the original artist.  Unlike other reproduction techniques, there has been NO modern recarving  or  reinterpretation of the piece.  It is presented as it was found.

The original jade hummingbird is currently in a private collection and was reproduced by Echoes In Time under exclusive agreement with the owners. 

Each reproduction is individually handmade and hand finished by artisans in USA with particular attention to authenticity and craftsmanship.
 
 

click to enlarge

Name: JADE HUMMINGBIRD AMULET
Time:    400 B.C. - A.D. 100 
Location:  Xochipala, Western Mexico 
Culture:  MAYAN

This unusual early Mayan/Olmec hummingbird figure is cast from the original 2000 year old jade piece discovered in archeological excavations in Xochipala.  It is a very early piece with strong ties to the earlier Olmec civilization.  While having a hummingbird's beak, the tufts and long head feather suggests a Macaw, while the multiple tail feathers may represent those of a bird of prey.  This Bird Warrior may have been a protective amulet, with the all-seeing eye giving warning (sdd siscussion below). 

Some experts believe that the long beak on this piece was actually used as is a perforator to draw blood from the tongue or the genitals as part of ritual blood letting ceremonies.  A Mayan legend speaks of a hummingbird piercing the the tongue of ancient kings.  When the blood from the wound was poured on sacred scrolls and burned, divine ancestors appeared in the smoke (the Serpent Serpent).  Our stunning recreation of the Hummingbird Warrior is artfully framed for hanging or overhead display. Capture this small but mighty piece and it will command the attention of all who view it.

MAYAN CULTURE:
The Mayan culture is one of the most fascinating and important civilizations in human history. The prehispanic Mayan Culture spans from approximately 1800 B.C. to the 16th century A.D., or about 3,400 years. The Maya settled a territory covering approximately 400,000 square kilometers, including the area of the present states of Yucatán, Quintana Roo, Campeche, Tabasco and Chiapas in Mexico and parts of Belize, Guatemala and El Salvador.  The Preclassic period lasted from 1800 B.C. to 250 A.D. 

The Maya made great scientific and technical achievements. They created beautiful examples of monumental architecture without the use of metal implements (since their technology included only carved, polished stone tools) and without the wheel. They developed a hieroglyphic writing system, used codices (books of treebark paper), created a base 20 mathematical system, and invented the mathematical concept of zero. They produced calendars with greater accuracy than any other of the time, including the European or Georgian calendar, which we use today. They possessed wide astronomical knowledge about the celestial cycles of Venus and the moon, and created precise tables on the movement of the sun, the moon and the stars. Finally, they developed the arts - including painting, sculpture and jade carving - the sciences, and medicine.

HUMMINGBIRD WARRIOR - Size Isn't What Matters!
Beautiful, iridescent, fragile and vulnerable all appear to describe the hummingbird.  The Maya, however were keen observers and students of nature. They held the tiny humming- bird in high esteem as a warrior because of its agility and the fierceness with which it will defend its nest against all intruders, regardless of size.  The hummingbird moves with amazing speed and incredible agility, hovering stationary in air or darting rapidly in a seemingly unpredictable and almost magical manner.  Beautiful, delicate, magical, fast and fearless, everything a Mayan might aspire to be or want to be protected by. 

One Mayan legend (told in the book The Hummingbird King: A Guatemalan Legend) tells of a Mayan prince who, at birth, was visited by a sacred hummingbird bird. The beautiful bird leaves a feather as a present for this newborn prince. From this day the prince carried the feather with him and in turn the feather protected him against all evil or from being hurt.  He became invincible. His people in turn loved the prince because he protected them. One Mayan warrior was, however, jealous of the prince. His envy led him to steal the prince's feather which resulted in the prince being killed in battle.  The Mayan people still believe that this prince, and the hummingbird, protects and watches over them.

MAYAN JADE CARVING:
For most people, the word "jade" evokes exotic images of the Chinese emperors. Few people realize the rich jade history of the Americas. To the Pre-Columbian people of Mesoamerica, jade meant life, fertility, and power; it was revered above gold. The association of the aristocracy with the brighter greens indicated that they valued jade above all other materials. Just as bright green jade was reserved for Chinese emperors, in Mesoamerica, bright green jadeite was reserved for kings and royalty. All MesoAmericans considered jade the most precious of objects and used it ornamentally as ear spools, necklaces, pectorals and bracelets.  Full-scale portraits used as death masks were made of small pieces of jade mosaiced or joined together and large quantities of ritually “killed” jade objects have been discovered in  Mayan cenotes (large natural underground water storage areas).