Crafting Process and Usage of "Axe-God" Jade Pendants in Pre-Columbian Costa Rica

Summary

The "axe-god" jade pendants form the majority of Costa Rican jade artifacts. These pendants were valued for their "celt like shape" and did not function as real axes. Interestingly, some pendants do have abrasions on their axe edges. Because of that, it has been proposed that prior to being reworked into a corporal accessory, some of these pendants had been used as real axes or other tools. The "axe-god" pendants consist of two parts; the superior part with decoration of human or animals, and the inferior part presents undecorated axe. This unique shape of "axe-god" is also can be seen in gold, bone, and shell artifacts in Costa Rica. Hence, the inferior part of the axe pendants may have important symbolic meaning, and focusing on the axe part is of great significance. Both the crafting procedures and the basic form from which the pendant is shaped are closely related to the pendants usage. In this study, a digital microscope was used to analyze use-wear and crafting techniques. As a result, I show that there were several ways to elaborate the "axe-god" possibly reflecting a variety of crafting groups.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 83rd Annual Meeting, Washington, DC (2018)

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 22433