Children of Jade: Maya Tooth Inlays Reveal a Hidden Rite of Passage

Archaeologists have long associated jade-studded teeth with status, beauty, and adulthood in the ancient Maya world. The practice, common among elite men and women during the Classic and Postclassic periods (AD 250–1550), involved drilling cavities into front teeth and inserting small pieces of jade, turquoise, or obsidian. For decades, scholars assumed this form of body modification was exclusive to adults.

A recent study¹ challenges that view. Researchers examined three teeth—each inlaid with jade—from children no older than 10 years old. These rare specimens suggest that the cultural logic of Maya dental inlays may have extended beyond personal ornamentation into the social and symbolic realm of childhood.

Maxillary right canine: A) Buccal optical view; B) Proximal radiographic view; C) CBCT sagittal section showing close proximity of the inlay cavity wall to the pulp chamber, with calcifications indicating pulp response. Credit: Marco Ramírez-Salomón et al