Explore / North America / More of North America
Central America, El Progreso
Motagua Valley, Guatemala
Maya jade source region
Gem locality Documented siteGray area
What you could find
Reported finds from this ground.
Crystals and mineralsAlso reported: eyes-only in the field: jadeitite float in tributary gravels, serpentinite; buy jadeite carvings and rough at workshops.
Photos via Wikimedia Commons: Stephanie Clifford from Arlington, VA, USA (CC BY 2.0).
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Why this spot
Rockhounding locality: the middle Motagua fault valley holds Mesoamerica's only jadeitite source, quarried by Olmec and Maya lapidaries and rediscovered by geologists in the 1950s
The Motagua valley is documented as the only known Mesoamerican jadeitite source, with modern workshops sourcing from the region
Before you go
Hazards noted for this site.
Hot semi-arid valleyFlash floods in tributary quebradas, prospecting areas are jealously watched
Keep exploring nearby
More spots in this area.