Object Notes

Objects that are Olmec in style have been found in such distant areas of Mesoamerica as Tlapacoya and Tlatilco in the Valley of Mexico, Chalcatzingo in Morelos, and Teopantecuanitlan in Guerrero.

This small, carved figurine depicts a crouching man. His genitals are exposed, and he has a pronounced beard, both of which are rare in Olmec art. The wrinkled-face, elderly man wears a fitted cap, and there are small holes on the earlobes, though further costume details are absent.

This massive stone axe embodies the power of man to clear the land, dig and shape the earth, and make the world a habitable place. The cleft in the forehead represents the opening of a path from the human world to the otherworld. Its blade, wielded by the king in ceremony, was a means of cleaving such a path and bringing spiritual force into the world.

Hollow pottery baby figurines are a common theme in Olmec art, where they represent the capacity of kings to regenerate life out of death. They are known as baby-face figurines because they exhibit plump bodies and facial features similar to an infant. They are normally depicted in a seated position, with arms raised and legs spread, and nude with no indica

The carved stone images Olmec kings wore on their foreheads and chests projected supernatural power.

The carved stone images Olmec kings wore on their foreheads and chests projected supernatural power.

The Olmec established a tradition of portraiture through colossal stone heads and figural sculpture. The carved stone images Olmec kings wore on their foreheads and chests projected supernatural power.

The carved stone images Olmec kings wore on their foreheads and chests projected supernatural power. This pendant is carved in the shape of a mythological animal that may represent a jaguar or some type of feline-like creature. It would have originally been suspended from a necklace by the drilled holes at the back of the figure.

This small, jadeite spoon pendant bears an incised motif that may represent a monkey or other supernatural creature. The figure wears a headdress and is shown with large, bulging eyes and a snarling grimace with exposed teeth. The large eyes may also indicate a state of trance or transformation, a bridge between the natural and supernatural worlds.