Jadeite was highly prized by the Maya and was fashioned into pendants, necklaces, earrings, and plaques. Found in Mexico, these pendants may be true portraits of Maya lords. They are depicted wearing earplugs, necklaces, and elaborate headdresses. The jadeite pendants are among more than 200 ancient artifacts, some dating back 3,500 years, in the Penn Museum’s Mexico and Central America Gallery. Penn Museum archaeologists have worked at ancient Maya sites in Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, and Honduras.