In 1974, Jay Ridinger was on the trail of the lost sources of Maya jade. He ran across the Smithsonian publication “Mineralogical Studies in Guatemalan Jade”, written in 1957 by William F Foshag, the curator of geology at the Smithsonian. Washington D.C.
Foshag published a map which indicated: “X Marks the Spot.” Ridinger and his wife, Mary Lou https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Lou_Ridinger travelled to Guatemala and found the jade source exactly where he had said, situated in the Motagua Valley. This is on the tectonic plate boundary between the North American tectonic plate and the Caribbean tectonic plate.
The Ridingers announced their find to the world but no one believed them. They were laughed at and called crazy until the 1987 National Geographic article: “Jade” came out that they were vindicated
At the time of the Spanish invasion the jade sources were lost because the reverence the Mayas showed for jade was considered idolatry and the sources were abandoned. 450 years later the Ridingers re-established the jade industry in Guatemala.
Since 1974 the Ridingers have discovered nine more sources of jade. The skilled artisans at the Maya Jade factory create masterpieces in jade. If you are planning to visit Antigua Guatemala, do visit their Linda Schele Jade Museum and be sure to find your birthdate in the Maya Calendar and pick the jade glyph representing your day.
Find us at: JadeMaya at 4 Calle Oriente #34, Antigua, (four blocks east of the square)
Tel: +502 79312400
Website: https://jademaya.com/
