By: Claudia Ramirez & Mauricio Salinas

These Colossal Heads created in the c.900-500 BCE. represent Olmec rulers. This is, because of their unique physical features the form and the difficulty and cost involved in their creation.The mysterious Olmec Civilization prospered in Pre-Classical (Formative) Mesoamerica from c. 1200 BCE to c. 400 BCE and is generally considered the forerunner of all subsequent Mesoamerican cultures such as the Maya and Aztecs. Seventeen heads have been discovered to date. They all have similar visual texture. The Olmec’s are famous for their Colossal Heads which  can be seen to the left. Facial details were drilled into the stone (using reeds and wet sand) so that prominent features such as the eyes, mouth, and nostrils have real depth. Some also have

deliberately drilled dimples on the cheeks, chin, and lips which they have geometrical lines in the face. The heads all display unique facial features – often in a very naturalistic and have some elements of art manner – so that they may be considered portraits of actual rulers. The Olmec were extremely talented as we can see that the Colossal Heads are their legacy which they left behind.The content behind their large shape size represent gods, and their helmets represent that they once ruled. The Colossal Heads were very difficult to move that is why they were never copied. In this video there is more information about the Colossal Heads.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fOBrDSnUiUk