Colossal Head 4 (replica)
Olmec Culture San Lorenzo Tenochtitlan Veracruz Mexico 1200 - 900 B.C.E.
Gift to the Smithsonian Inst from the gov't of the state of Veracruz Mexico & the Washington Center for Internships & Academic Seminars Oct 2001

 






Colossal Head 4 (replica)
San Lorenzo Tenochtitlan Veracruz Mexico 1200 - 900 B.C.E.

This portrait of an Olmec ruler is among 17 colossal heads known from one of the world's great ancient civilizations. Without wheels or iron tools, the Olmec created spectacular monumental sculptures & ceremonial centers on Mexico's Gulf Coast. In 1946, Smithsonian archaealogist Matthew W. Stirling excavated the 6-ton basalt original of this head, which is on display at the Museum of Anthropology in Xalapa, Veracruz.

Replica carved from volcanic ash by Ignacio Perez Solano & presented to the Smithsonian Institution by the government of the state of Veracruz, Mexico, & the Washington Center for Internships & Academic Seminars, Oct 2001.