Olmec Art II - Colossal Stone Sculpture

Please click any thumbnail at right for a larger image!

Click any highlighted name to hear its pronunciation!

San Lorenzo Altar

San Lorenzo is one of the oldest known Olmec centers, its occupation dating to 1300-700 BCE. The site of La Venta, in Tabasco, Mexico, has several of these "altar" tables in better preservation. What appears commonly in these massive stone structures is a small niche carved at the bottom of the front side, whence a small human figure emerges as if born from the stylized cave. This figure often holds a horizontal cord that likely signifies his "family ties" to his ancestors from whom his authority to rule derives. Because of their political statement, then, these altar pieces could have been used as thrones by the Olmec rulers.

Xalapa Museum of Anthropology


San Lorenzo Head 6

One of the many colossal heads made by the Olmecs. Almost all of these colossal heads bear the same features - flattened nose, wide lips, and capping headpiece - possible features of the Olmec warrior-chiefs. Often carved from volcanic stone at the stone's source, these heads would be rafted to the centers of the major Olmec centers along the southern Gulf of Mexico coast. Of the 9 heads cataloged from San Lorenzo, this one is known as San Lorenzo 6.

National Museum of Anthropology and History


San Lorenzo Head 2

San Lorenzo 2 is an even larger head. One of the immediately recognizable features is the looped earring hanging on the side. Each head is unique and is believed to identify rulers from different sites.

National Museum of Anthropology and History


San Lorenzo Head 3

What is distinctive about this head is that it appears to portray a woman chief, perhaps a unique yet noteworthy instance. Also notice that Head 3 is riddled with small pits, particularly over the headdress. David C. Grove observed that the frequency of these pits in specific parts of the monumental Olmec sculptures look too systematic to be the result of natural wear. In some cases, the pits are shaped like rectangles, further proof that the damage was deliberate. An interesting explanation for this ancient vandalism is that it was a way to release the spiritual power that these sculptures contained so that they would not become a radiation hazard to the community, so to speak.

Xalapa Museum of Anthropology


San Lorenzo Heads 8 and 1

Not only does the University of Xalapa Museum of Anthropology have many colossal Olmec heads, but it also displays them admirably. San Lorenzo Head 8, on the left, stands at the entrance foyer of the museum. San Lorenzo 1, at right, is wonderfully displayed in one of the museum's semi-outdoor pergolas. The headdress designs identified rulers.

Xalapa Museum of Anthropology


Serpent-Riding Shaman

The shaman, wearing a large headdress, sits on the belly of a great rattlesnake in this monumental carving, La Venta Monument 19. The serpent in this stele may be a predecessor to the Feathered Serpent - it is quite likely that this serpent could represent a god of wind or rain. The shaman holds a bag that may contain the hallucinogenic plants or mushrooms needed to break away his perception of the mundane realm and enter the spiritual plane.

National Museum of Anthropology and History


San Lorenzo Nagual Figure

The seated figure in this image is noteworthy because of the strange crescent implements it holds in its hands - so referred to as manoplas. It also appears to portray either a human transforming into its nagual animal form or an animal-headed deity. The cleft at the top of the headdress is very likely the same kind of cleft found in other Olmec works as the furrow whence the edible plants emerge. Because the mouth does not appear to have any fangs, this face might not be a jaguar, as popularly held, but it could be of a frog's, a creature linked with shamanism and fertility.

Xalapa Museum of Anthropology


Jaguar Clasping Rope

Found at Los Soldados, in the vicinity of Las Choapas, Veracruz, this jaguar in andesite stone dates to 1200-1000 BCE. The upper head is completely missing, but this figure is clearly feline. Most noteworthy is the long cord that the jaguar is holding in its jaws. Perhaps the cord has the same meaning of royal lineage that the altars above imply.

Xalapa Museum of Anthropology


Stone with Human Figure

While the Olmecs' most famous human portrayals are the monolithic heads, human figures were also carved upon massive stones. Like the colossal heads, the life-sized figure is carved along the stone's natural contours, which you can see especially as the feet curve around its tapering end. This relief carving is quite different from the others on this page as it displays few signs of elaborate headgear, clothing, or other ornaments that were typically used to identify powerful chiefs. Also, it lays in a reclined position rather than an upward seating or standing. Perhaps it represents a subjugated prisoner, similar to the Zapotec Danzante reliefs at Monte Albán, Oaxaca.

San Lorenzo Site Museum