Maya shell earrings reveal ancient trade and ritual insights

Archaeologists from the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) are analyzing 14 shell earrings shaped like frogs and toads recovered from funerary contexts in Campeche and Yucatán. The artifacts were discovered during archaeological salvage operations for the Tren Maya Project in sections 2, 3, and 4, originating from the sites of Sacamuy, Dzitbalché, Xiol, Kimbilá, and Kanab.

Measuring between 2 and 4 centimeters, these pieces date back to the Late Classic period (650–900 AD). Specialists aim to use the findings to reconstruct ancient trade networks, the distribution of raw materials, and the technological techniques used to transform shell into ritual objects.

In Maya worldview, anurans such as frogs and toads are associated with water, rain, fertility, rebirth, and the underworld. Archaeologist María Elodia Acevedo Chin noted that the study will also help researchers understand the habitats of the species represented and the connections between different Maya communities.