UC San Diego

Jade is a general term for two distinct minerals – jadeite and nephrite. There is no evidence yet of nephrite exploitation by the ancient Maya, so in this work “jade” is used interchangeably with “jadeite.” Previous research provided evidence about the use and significance of jade for the ancient Maya, both in elite and non-elite contexts. New discovery of an exquisitely carved T-shape jade pendant, with an inscribed wind glyph on the front side and hieroglyphic text on the back at the site of Nim li Punit in Belize, has demonstrated that almost no attention has been paid to this type of artifact in the literature. Therefore, this study has two major purposes: (1) to investigate the meanings of T-shape jade pendants and ornaments in the Maya area, (2) to demonstrate that a T-shaped Ik’ wind glyph, one of the key symbols appearing from the Preclassic to Postclassic narrative in the Maya region, attests to an “international” pan-Mesoamerican tradition. I approach this problematic employing the semiotic analysis and a theory of inalienable possessions in order to talk about the wind sign production, communication, and meaning. I state that the jade pendant from Nim li Punit is an example of a pan-Mesoamerican tradition of the wind symbolism that originated in a form of jade spoons and wind god veneration from the Gulf Coast; Costa Rican jade clam pendants and avian imagery; and is analogous to Highland Mexican shell pendants, semantically linked to the wind deity Quetzalcoatl.