Chalice of Souls

Features November/December 2024

A Maya jade heirloom embodies an enduring sacred tradition
Jon G. Fuller, Jr./Alamy
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A four-inch-tall greenstone vessel was created in the Maya city of Calakmul, in what is now Mexico, by artists of the Kaanul, or Snake, Dynasty (ca. a.d. 200–736).

Reusing objects is a fundamental way people connect with and honor their past. Maya kings, like many who serve Thanksgiving dinner on their grandmother’s best china or pin her favorite brooch to their dress for a special occasion, employed heirlooms as a means of memorializing and hearkening back to those who came before. “Re

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