pre hispanic art

Artisan Roy Vindas of Costa Rica designs and handcrafts this sterling silver pendant necklace of a frog inspired by pre-Hispanic art. The artisan says about his motivation: "I learned to appreciate pre-Hispanic art thanks to my father, whose work as a goldsmith focused in that area. This piece is inspired by the jewelry made by Costa Rican natives that is exhibited in the Gold Museum of Costa Rica. The frog is considered as the God of fertility, wealth and health, as its appearance announces the arrival of the rainy season, a propitious time for sowing."

Francisco Sánchez crafts a delightful necklace in the style of pre-Hispanic art. Present in Mexico's music and legend, the paloma, or dove comes to life in this chic silver pendant.

.925 Sterling silver

Taking the form of a feathered serpent, Quetzalcoatl is an ancient pre-Hispanic deity, paid homage in this stunning men's pendant necklace from Mexico. Angel Ortiz crafts the pendant of precious sterling silver from Taxco in the Aztec art style. It centers black rubber cord that closes with a sterling clasp.

This is a fantastic piece of jewelry to layer or to pair with dresses and swimsuits. The Zuñiga Gomez Family handcrafts the pendant cut from pale green Guatemalan jade and displays on an adjustable black cotton cotton cord.

Jade has been prized in Guatemala and the rest of Central America since pre-Hispanic times. The Mayan inhabitants of the region linked it to the supernatural and the afterlife. Modern artisans like the Zuñiga Gomez Family keep the tradition alive through their art.

Also known as the Andean cross, the chakana is an ancient symbol often seen in Peru's ancient art. It represents the Southern Cross. One of the pre-Hispanic astral symbols that presided over the Andean universe, the chakana symbolizes order in family and community life. It is taken from a constellation of stars forming a square, and represents the universe connected to the center of the world. It also symbolizes a stairway toward the most high. "For me, the chakana also represents spirituality," Maria Astuhuaman confides. "It serves as a medium of connection between us and the divine." The artisan presents a sterling silver chacana on this black faux leather bracelet.

Also known as the Andean cross, the chakana is an ancient symbol often seen in Peru's ancient art. It represents the Southern Cross. One of the pre-Hispanic astral symbols that presided over the Andean universe, the chakana symbolizes order in family and community life. It is taken from a constellation of stars forming a square, and represents the universe connected to the center of the world. It also symbolizes a stairway toward the most high. "For me, the chakana also represents spirituality," Maria Astuhuaman confides. "It serves as a medium of connection between us and the divine." The artisan presents a sterling silver chacana in a 10 mm-wide red faux leather bracelet.

Named with the Nahuatl word for hummingbird, this necklace by Rosa Rojo reveals the importance of this little creature to Aztec and other indigenous cultures. The design is based on depictions from Mexico's pre-Hispanic codices, reinterpreted in gleaming sterling silver.

An ancient Maya legend tells how the gods gave a specific mission to each being they created. But they realized none had been chosen to carry thoughts and desires from one place to another," says Rosa Padillas of Rosa Roja. "So they carved a small piece of jade into a a slender arrowhead, and it became a beautiful hummingbird with iridescent feathers — the x ts'unu'um. Its mission was to carry good thoughts to all human beings, even those who had died.

"Today, if a hummingbird appears in front of you, it is delivering a message of love from someone who is thinking of you. And if we wear the image of a hummingbird, we carry good thoughts and desires to others.

"The hummingbird legend says that we can fly to the six cardinal points of the universe, therefore the hummingbird is the ideal link to transmit thoughts of love, of respect, tolerance and peace to all creatures on the planet."

The talented Mexican artisan reinterprets the legend as a necklace of dramatic beauty. She creates a hummingbird pendant in the pre-Hispanic style, and adds an agate geode representing the hummingbird's nest. It poses on a strand of gray cultured pearls.