
The Olmec civilization (c. 1400-400 BCE) is regarded as the "mother culture" of Mesoamerica, the first major civilization to develop in the region. Based in the Gulf Coast lowlands of present-day Veracruz and Tabasco, Mexico, Olmec artists produced monumental stone sculpture and fine jade carvings that established the artistic vocabulary for all later Mesoamerican cultures.
The Olmec are best known for their colossal basalt heads. Sixteen have been recovered, ranging from 1.5 to 3.4 meters tall and weighing up to 25 tons. Carved from boulders transported over 150 kilometers from the Sierra de los Tuxtlas mountains, they likely portray individual rulers. Our collection includes 3 works at the National Museum of Anthropology in Mexico City and the Met.
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