Pre-Columbian, Guerrero, Mexico, Mezcala culture, ca. 700 BCE to 650 CE, and Mayan Territories, ca. 200 to 900 CE. This is a trio of jadeite ear spools/plugs with flared flat trumpet shapes. Two are made of similar mottled mint and turquose green material that has a heavier feel; the third is paler, with limited tiny green specks. Only the most elite personages in Mesoamerican society were able to wear ear spools made of jadeite. The Maya believed that ears were the conduits for spiritual energy, and so ear ornaments like this one took on significant meaning. Some scholars have argued that the stretching of earlobes -- done progressively through spool sizes to limit tearing and pain -- may have been a rite of passage from childhood to adulthood for the Maya and, later, the Aztec; ear spools may also have been thought of as an extension of the ear. Size of largest: 1.25" W (3.2 cm) Provenance: Ex - Private W. S. collection, Los Angeles, CA
