Pre-Columbian Chinese Jade found in the wake of the Treasure Fleet
South America
Brazil – Amazon/Tapajos River Juncture (Barbosa Rodrigues)
Trombetas River; Lago Sapakua; Lago de Faro; Serra da Chinella (Hill of Chinese); unnamed island; Ilha Jacinta; Costa do Parvo; Villa de Faro; Rio Yamunda; Cujumuru.
As a former dealer in tribal and ancient artifacts and an extensive traveler, a reader has often been surprised at how the dissemination of early objects hinted at trade routes, lost to history. In the Rio museum there is a collection of jade ‘marakatas’ from the Amazon but excavated from pre-Columbian sites. Many of these carvings (of turtles or frogs) are in nephrite jade,as well as jadeite and emerald nexus. There are a number in one room in the Rio Museum, many of which have a distinctly Chinese look to them – Peter Stark
Elsewhere in Brazil (Barbosa Rodrigues) Amargosa (BA); Campanas (SP); Pivi (MG); Pinheiros (RJ); Olinda (PE); Obidos (AM); São Francisco River.
Argentina (Barbosa Rodrigues & Palmatory)
Colombia (Barbosa Rodrigues & Palmatory)
Guatemala (Border El Salvador), Figurines (BN 139)
Galapagos (Barbosa Rodrigues & Palmatory)
Peru Mummy – Mongolian features with jade necklace (Lima Museum) ( Loayza)
Central America
Mexico
Teotihuacan; Isthmus of Tehuantepec; Chiapas de Corzo; La Venta (L 273; K094; M342C; L240; W154; P269B)
Panama (Barbosa Rodrigues & Palmatory)Costa Rica (American Naturalist 21: 96-97, F. W. Putnam: jade objects from Costa Rica and Nicaragua are “unquestionably Chinese jade”; P 2698)
Nicaragua (American Naturalist 21: 96-97, F. W. Putnam: jade objects from Costa Rica and Nicaragua are “unquestionably Chinese jade”; P269B)
North America
Georgia (Nacooche Mound); Michigan Mound (P269B)
Florida Keys – Large carved jade Buddha head [12 1/2″ high by 71/2″ wide] found in a channel between two islands in the Florida Keys on the Gulf side. It weighed about 67 pounds total and had appeared to have been broken off of a body [the bottom was rough and irregular and it did not sit on the end at all.]
Was found in about 45 feet depth in an area where adjacent islands had drawings carved into bedrock that at one time had been exposed but were now covered over by house foundations. However, there were surprisingly no Spanish ships recorded as going down in that particular area. Also a diver claims to have found “many bells” – curious since most ships only have one bell. (Michele Wells)
Catalina – UCLA dig on Santa Catalina found several pre-Columbian Chinese jade carvings. (Richard Pozzo)
California – A reader remembers talking to scuba divers in the 1960’s about bringing up lumps of jade from the ocean floor off Big Sur. Some of the lumps were large, up to three feet in length. Large stone wheels with holes in the centre were also salvaged – Jim Davies
N W Canada British Columbia (C405; H070); Shu Lao Buddha lamp.
Illinois
John Lewis has found Jade artifacts, two of which were found along the Piasa Creek in Jersey county. One piece of jade is in a circular form and has a hole through the center of the jade disc. Another piece of jade consists of a truncated pyramid some four inches in height with a base about one and a half inches square, the lesser base at the top being about three quarters of an inch square.
Carribean
Cuba (Barbosa Rodrigues & Palmatory)
Virgin Islands (Barbosa Rodrigues & Palmatory)
Australia
Darwin – Shu Lao; NSW – Ganesh, Hanuman; Queensland, Buddha.
Gympie – orange-coloured jade belt buckle, monkey / bear, and blue jade necklace (Brett Green) Chinese relics in a similar style to Liao Dynasty (and therefore Mongol type) found in Australia. Chinese rank jades on elaborate necklaces of stone beads. The blue beads could be turquoise from Central Asia. See the book ” Liao Chenguogongzhu Mu” or “Tomb of the Princess of State Chen” by Inner Mongolian Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology, 1993 Cultural Relics Publishing house, Beijing ISBN 7-5010-0679-2/K 278 (Evan Alastair Morris)
New Zealand
Ruapuke Beach, korotangi duck; Mauku, Mongol warrior.
Pacific/Polynesia
To follow.
Related galleries: Jade
