In Central America, Costa Rica is one of two regions where jade was extensively carved by indigenous peoples in Pre-Columbian times. The earliest evidence for carved jade dates to 500 B.C., and is a bird pendant excavated from a burial tomb on the Nicoya Peninsula.
Jade pendants and other ornaments made in Costa Rica are among the country’s most unique historic art forms. Fashioning items out of Jadeite, which was most prevalent in Costa Rica, remained in favor for hundreds of years until approximately 700 A.D., when its popularity appears to have been replaced by gold ornaments. Costa Rican jade comes in many green tonalities, from pale blue-green to intense, almost black greens.
You can now see Costa Rica’s entire collection of nearly 7,000 pieces of indigenous jade, ceramics and stone artifacts, purportedly the largest collection of Pre-Columbian jade in the world, at the new national Museum of Jade and Pre-Columbian Art in San Jose Costa Rica.
Open to the public as of May 26, 2014, the new Jade Museum is located in the Plaza de la Democracia (Democracy Plaza) opposite the Costa Rica National Museum. Since 1977, Costa Rica’s impressive collection of ancient jade had been housed in a small wing of the National Insurance Institute (INS) building, which prevented the museum from displaying its full collection.
The new Jade Museum spans 75,000 square feet over five floors. The building itself is exceptionally modern and eye-catching. The architect designed the commanding edifice to capture the shape and texture of a piece of jade. Conveniently located in the center of downtown San Jose’s cultural attractions, the Jade Museum is just a few blocks from the National Theatre, one of the capital city’s most popular tourist attractions.
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Article by Shannon Farley
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