Society for the Anthropology of Lowland South America (SALSA)

Pre-Columbian Costa Rican Axe-god Jade Pendant:

SALSA XII Sesquiannual Conference
Weltmuseum Wien, 2019
Vienna, Austria

Waka Kuboyama
A New Archaeological Perspective on Crafting Technologies. PhD Student
Archaeology Department

Overview of Costa Rican Archaeology Approaches to Ancient Technology

Costa Rica belongs to a cultural region called the “Intermediate Area” which is situated between two “big” civilizations, Mesoamerica and the Andean area. Technologies are invented, developed, and applied to people’ s daily life.
In Costa Rica, there is no archaeological evidence of monumental architecture or a state-level society as there is in Mesoamerica and Andean civilizations. “Technology” can be any kinds of related activities, not only “visible” but also “non-visible” aspects.
Chiefdom-level society had dominated from 300B.C. forward. The absence of metal tools is acknowledged until the arrival of the Spanish conquistadors,
thus the creation of pre-Columbian structures, crafting, and daily activities are to be done with Neolithic-level tools.
Daily Life Activities

“Visible” aspects “Non-visible” aspects

3 Mesoamerica
Caribbean Sea
N
Crafting Technology Knowledge
Intermediate Area

I Jadeite
Style and Imagery Cognitive templates
Known as a “Cultural Bridge” II
2 Human interaction
Raw material
Costa Rica Education
through which ideas, objects, and people 1

moved between Mesoamerica and the Andean areas. III

What is “Axe-god” ?
- Cultural Regions - Pacific Ocean
I. Gran Nicoya
II. Central Area
（1.Pacific 2. Carribean 3.Northern plains）
III. Gran Chirriquí
The axe-gods form the majority of Costa Rican jade artefacts.
500km
Central Andean A symbol of status, and acompanied by the mergence of social complexity and hierarchy.
(33)

Chronology of Costa Rican Jade Artefacts

(INS6665)

(INS6705)
(INS6703)
Left profile Front Right profile Back
(INS6603)
Perforation (INS1872)

(Guerrero 1998; Jones 1999) (INS1507)

5cm

(INS1754)
(INS2130)

Initial Period Florescent Period Terminal Period

Superior part
(Motif) (Quantity）
30
500B.C. - A.D.300 A.D.300 - 700 A.D.700 - 900 (n=253)
25

20

15
Inferior part
(Axe)
10

Sawing polish Septum

0
4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 -------- 38 (Height: cm)

Variety of Motifs: Variety of sizes and different degrees of quality

Anthropomorphic, Avemorphic, Feline,
Quimera, Simple-incised

Idea Raw material achievement Crafting

Axe-god’ s theme may be developed locally Until now, no sources of jadeite have been discovered within String-sawing and groove-and-snap
Sawing / Groove making Snapping Sptum Most of axe-gods are curved form an axe-form base, sometimes split in half,
and incorporated into the local customs Costa Rica. Most of the discovered jadeite in Costa Rica are considered (concave / convex)

separating front and back surface,

and value system (Snarskis 2003). to be brought from the Motagua River in Guatemala.
while others are curved in relief, using the entire axe-form base.
However, axe-god-like motif can be seen in The craftsman also chooses non-jadeite locally available minerals
These different procedures possibly reflect a variety of crafting groups.
Middle America across the space and time, called “social jades” which present a variety of shininess and qualities.

in At the time of raw material selection, the elaboration techniques and

Olmec, Mayan, Caribbean Antilles.... knowledge of characteristics of chosen minerals are required (Miller 2009). Variation of Crafting Procedure
Surface view Back view

Each mineral has distinct characteristics, such as composition, grain size

Greenstone celts, celti-form figurines, and
and durability, which lead to different functional requirements.
decorated axes are commonly observed within
the area. Possibility of the existance of
“Social Jade”
“Pan- Middle American” theme
must be discussed. 50% of social jades can be
collected localy.
Jadeite I. II. III. IV.

37% Biconical Perforation

Serpentine, Quartz, Chalcedony,
Jasper, Volcanic stones....

“social jades” are not only green, but also black, grey, white, and yellow.

e ”
La venta, Olmec La venta, Olmec Puerto Rico

t o i r
(Image: Coe and Koontz 2002) (Image: Taube 2004) (Image: Herrera 1964)

r a
Image: author

h a î n e op é
“C (Andre Leroi-Gourhan 1973)
Burial
The axe-gods have been found primarily at burial sites.
Their appearance in other kinds of context is not frequent.
Use
Axe-gods were valued for their “axe-like shape”
but its function as real axes is still unknown.
There are no previous studies that focus on the usage of the axe part.
“Chaîne Opératoire” is a theory which believes that Interestingly, some pendants do have abrasions on their axe edges.
Burial activities of axe-gods 38(/362) pendants show abrasive on the edge of the axe.
step-by-step production, the use and disposal of artefacts shows a variety

are to be organized according to an internal logic specific to a society. stone cist,

(INS4416) (INS1504) (INS6789)

secondary burial bandle,

The manufacturing activities and “life history” of axe-gods are also varied,
bottle-shape grave
and each step requires different technologies and human interaction.
Grave good assemblage from the principal tomb, Talamanca de Tibás site. Micro-flaking (Front) Micro-flaking and polish Crosscutting of micro-flaking and
Image: author
1.Shell-form jade pendant, 2. Mace heads, 3. Avemorphic axe-god, (Front) string-sawn cut mark (Front)

4. Tripod vase, 5. Decorated metates (edited by author after Jones 1999)

Image: author

“ Bricolage ” Material Analyses Expected Results

Reproduction of prestige objects Digital Microscope (Low-magnification)
Digital microscope is used to check the crafting marks, such as striations and polish on the surface, curved motifs,
and perforations. Captured photographs, would be useful as a reference of each crafting techniques.
RTI (Reflectance Transformation Imaging)
RTI image is created though several photographs with different angle of lighting, and it emphasizes shadow
and highlights of the artefact. In this way, RTI enable us to see the object’ s detail and 3D surface of axe-god.
While raw materials or finished objects themselves are able to be diffused by “non-verbal” communication
(it could be just a movement of object or simply can be copied), technologies must be transmitted
through “verbal” communication or physical lessons which is done though face-to-face encounters between
humans across the generations or groups. The archaeological approaches to technology help to elucidate not
only object-human communication but also human-human communication. This study may elucidate how
ancient craft technologies were developed, learned, performed, changed and diffused through the human
interaction. In the end of this study, I expect to figure out more about the ancient society and human beings
through an existing object in the present.

Future Work
Transition from the original axe-god to the evolved and Experimental Archaeology
imitation of axe-god demonstrates the “bricolage” After the material analyses, I want to do crafting experiment.
(Lévi-Strauss 1976), creating from diverse things that to be available. Firstly, I will do actual construction of the axe-gods as an experiment,
When the craftsmen face to the change of raw material supply or and then, this axe-gods’ replica should be checked against and compared constantly
technology, they try to find the solution, by accepting the local materials with original archaeological artefacts or data from the crafting mark analyses.
and existing knowledge, and re-produce the prestige objects. This experiment provides us with information about what activities, techniques,
Image: author
and procedures might be chosen to create axe-gods.

Guerrero. M, Juan Vicente. 1998. “The Archaeological Context of Jade in Costa Rica” , Jade in Ancient Costa Rica, Chapter1, pp.23-38, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.
Coe, Michael D. and Koontz, Rex. 2002. Mexico: From the Olmecs to the Aztecs, Fifth edition,Thames & Hudson Ltd, London.
Herrera Fritot, René. 1964. Estudio De Las Hachas Antillanas. Creación de Índices Axiales Para las Petaloides. Comisión Nacional de la Academia de Ciencias, Departamento de Antropología, La Habana. Museum of Jade, INS, Costa Rica
Jones, Julie. 1999. “Jade in Ancient Costa Rica” , The Metropolitan Museum of Art, introduction, p.14.
Reference Lévi-Strauss, Claude. 1976. The Savage Mind (『野生の思考』 大橋保夫訳 みすず書房 ) Aknowledgement University of Costa Rica
Harlow, George. E. 1993. “Middle American Jade: Geologic and Petrologic Perspectives on Variability and Source” , Precolumbian jade: New geological and cultural interpretations, Chapter 1, pp.9-29, University of Utah Press
Takanashi Young Researcher’ s Scholarship, 2018, Japan
Miller, Heather M. L. 2009. Archaeological Approaches to Technology. New York: Routledge.
Snarskis, Michael J. 2003. “From Jade to Gold in Costa Rica: How, Why, and When” , Gold and Power in Ancient Costa Rica, Panama, and Colombia, Edited by Jeffrey Quilter and John W. Hoopes, Dumbarton Oaks, Washington, D.C.
Taube, A. K. 2004. Olmec Art at Dumbarton Oaks. Precolumbian Art at Dumbarton Oaks, No.2, J. Quilter (ed.). Washington D.C.: Dumbarton Oaks Research Library and Collection.C