Amber is a fossil resin, a fragile and aromatic gem from deep in the caves of Chiapas. Originating from many different species of trees and plants that populated this Mayan land some 25 to 40 million years ago. From the very first civilizations, supernatural properties were attributed to amber as it was associated with different cults and religious practices. Before the Spanish conquest occurred in the 16th Century, some towns in Mexico and Central America used amber to honor the great warriors who feared neither war nor death.
It was the regions of Simojovel and Totolapa in the state of Chiapas that provided the fossil resin to towns throughout Mesoamérica. In Simojovel the existence of a deep rooted artisan tradition and a prosperous economy was based on the operation and commerce of this amber resin. Simojovel, located in the region of mountains north of Chiapas, it is a humid, rainy territory, surrounded by steep mountainous areas who's peaks reach up to two thousand meters above sea level. There are dozens of amber deposits located in those mountains, unfortunately alot of the areas were washed away or buried in mud from the last hurricane.
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Amber comes in many different colors from yellow, to rose red and orange, blood red, a lime green and the very rare hazy blue resin specimens. They vary in hardness, but most amber is approximately 2.5 on the hardness scale. They come in a variety of textures according to its mixture with the earth, leaf, moss debris and insects - which are the most sought after by collectors world wide. Used as adornment, amber protects the indigenous people from "bad vibrations" as well as purifies the spirit, keeps away disease and is used by healers and shamans alike.
Currently rough amber is available only in very small quantities and is being sold by the gram. No longer can amber be purchased by the kilo, you are only allowed as much as you can carry out on your back, providing you are a Mexican National (the farmers have agreed not to sell to foreigners anymore). Hurricane Stan has left the entire area completely devastated since November 2005, with most of the original working mines being still buried under many feet of now dry mud - thus causing the price of amber to rise heavily and making this rare prehispanic treasure even more valuable.
The farmers excavate the steep hills in northern Chiapas until they find a layer of coal that contains "el corazon de ambar", for which they perforate holes into the "heart of the amber" by where they enter crawling into the dark shot tunnels with very little room to move. While older mines have greater access allowing the ambareros to enter walking for maybe thirty to forty meters. The 'ambareros' (as they are called) work on their knees, or seated and sometimes lying on the ground in total darkness, illuminating themselves by the light of a candle. Most of the ambareros that live in the communities near the mines, take advantage of the intervals between the harvest season and seeding time (from January to May) to dedicate themselves to the extraction of amber with hopes of improving their economy situation.
The Ambarero's tools consist mainly of picks, shovels and chisels to look for the rare fossil amber resin. The work of the ambarero is a male dominated position, but sometimes the children participate along with their parents in the collecting and polishing of the amber. The families who do the mining are very wary of strangers and do not always sell to anybody that asks for the amber. It is a very traditional and spiritual stone for the indigenous people of Chiapas and they don't plan to let the government or foreigners exploit the stone anytime soon.
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FOR BALTIC
AND DOMINICAN FOSSIL AMBER
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Colima México C.P. 28010
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