Amber of Simojovel de Allende,
Chiapas Mexico
Dusty Gutierrez
Gemstones/Fall 2012
http://www.flickr.com/photos/1033
5017@N07/3440957273
http://www.mexicoartshow.com/
casadechiapas.html
http://www.amjbot.org/content/94/11/1821.full
Mexican Amber
• found in Chiapas Mexico
• from the late Oligocene to
Early Miocene, 24 -30 mya
• comes from the resin of
an extinct tree in the genus
Hymenaea family
• known to the world through
Frans Blom, an archeologist
(Dave Gibson,
Mexican Amber)
Imageshttp://www.mexicoartshow.com/casadechiapas.html
Chiapas Blue Green Polished Amber
http://samoraminerals.mybisi.com/product/1100-gram-blue-greenpolished-mexican-amber-from-chiapas
Mexican Amber is famous for the natural red color.
http://www.caroun.com
/Countries/America/
Mexico/Chiapas/02MayaCultureinChiapasChiapas.html
http://www.mexicoartshow.com/casadechiapas.html
http://culturespanishamerica.wordpress.com/page/18 /
Chiapas produces some of the most beautiful natural
Amber in the world. However, the mining conditions could
be compared to those of early 19 th century. Armed with a
flashlight, or in some cases just a candle, as well as a pick
and a hammer, miners from Chiapas climb into very small
tight places and work for long
hours just to support their
families. These miners are
paid low wages, just a mere
$2-$3 a day. Women and
children are paid less. A
quarter of an ounce of
amber, which is sometimes a whole
weeks worth of work, only yields an extra
$2.50 on top of their regular pay. Even
though this amber can go on to sell for
$100 or more the miners will never see
that extra money.
(Tom Weiner, New York Times, 2002)
Frans (Frants Ferdinand) Blom
Danish explorer and archeologist,
authority of Mayan Culture
• Owned a home in Chiapas,
Casa Na Bolom (House Jaguar)
• Introduced the world to Chiapas
Amber 1950’s, sent samples to
the University of California
• 1953 Paleontologist group from
University of California visited Blom
• Stratigraphic mapping was done of
the area as well as obtainment of
pieces of Amber which had insect
inclusions, which lead to the discovery
http://en.wikipedia.org/
and identification of a never before
wiki/Frans_Blom
identified species of stingless bee
(Dave Gibson, Mexican Amber)
Casa Na Bolom Today
Now a museum and cultural center. Their mission
is to preserve and develop the culture and
environment of Chiapas.
http://www.nabolom.org/
http://www.turimexico
.com/chiapas/mcasa
deljaguar.php
Amber is a beautiful & fragile gem
that artists are able to form into
beautiful pieces of jewelry as well
as art. Another well know importance
of amber is the fact
that we are able to
recover well
preserved fossilized
plants and animals.
The Amber deposit
in Mexico is important
due to the fact that it
comes from a time
when plants & animals
were evolving.
(Dave Gibson,
Mexican Amber)
http://www.amjbot.org/content/94/11/1821.full
In Chiapas there have been many cases of never
before seen species of plant and animal found in the
Amber. Recently a
flower from late
Oligocene-early
Miocene, Swietenia
(Meliaceae) was
discovered.
(Carlos CastañedaPosadas & Sergio
R. S. Cevallos-Ferriz
http://www.amjbot.org/content/94/11/1821.full
References
http://www.nabolom.org/
http://www.amjbot.org/content/94/11/1821.full
http://www.mexicanamber.org.uk/
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/12/01/world/me
xico-s-amber-miners-find-risk-notriches.html?pagewanted=all&src=pm
Image References
http://samoraminerals.mybisi.com/product/1100gram-blue-green-polished-mexican-amber-fromchiapas
http://www.mexicoartshow.com/casadechiapas.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frans_Blom
http://www.turimexico.com/chiapas/mcasadeljaguar
.php
http://www.amjbot.org/content/94/11/1821.full