Honduras · Hardstone / gem carving
Talla de Jade de Copán
Hand-carving of jade (jadeite) figures, ornaments, and jewelry in Copán, Honduras, continuing a tradition documented archaeologically at the ancient Maya city of Copán, where jade was worked into finely sculpted funerary and ceremonial objects — including, at one royal tomb identified by some historians as that of Copán's 5th-century ruler-founder K'inich Yax K'uk' Mo', jade inlay set directly into the occupant's teeth. Modern Copán carvers work the stone by hand from a single block using diamond-impregnated cutting tools, producing pieces made almost entirely for the tourist trade surrounding the Copán archaeological site.
Risk level: Stable · Not Applicable — no UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage inscription exists for this specific carving craft at time of writing (the Copán archaeological site itself is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, inscribed 1980, but that designation covers the ruins, not the contemporary carving craft)
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