CÁPSULA: Tradición artesanal del ámbar chiapaneco.

Chiapas amber is a Mexican designation of origin from the state of Chiapas, in the south of the country. Amber is a semiprecious stone of plant origin. Chiapas amber comes from a leguminous plant of the Hymenaea genus, locally called guapinol, and is carved to make amulets, jewelry, rosaries, and other items. On August 25, 2003, the declaration of designation of origin for Chiapas amber (NOM-152-SCFI-2003) was published in the Official Gazette of the Federation. It is one of the three crafts with this designation in Mexico, along with Talavera from Puebla and Olinalá from Guerrero. Currently (2019), 4,500 families benefit directly or indirectly from amber production. There are around 500 amber mines in Chiapas, whose miners are mostly indigenous men. In recent times, the value of this stone has increased enormously, its main buyer being the Chinese market.