Mexican traveler José María Melgar documented the first Olmec colossal head at Tres Zapotes in the 1850s-60s, shown to him by locals. ~70-80 years later, Matthew Stirling excavated it. As a late Olmec center, this is among the youngest known heads. Marion Stirling later dated Stela C there, placing Olmec civilization centuries before Classic Maya 📜
José María Melgar documented first Olmec colossal head at Tres Zapotes in 1860s
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Key facts
- The first Olmec colossal head ever discovered was found at Tres Zapotes.
- José María Melgar, a Mexican traveler and writer, documented the head after being shown it by locals in the 1850s-1860s.
- Tres Zapotes was one of the last Olmec cultural centers, making this head one of the youngest.
- Matthew Stirling excavated the head approximately 70-80 years after Melgar's initial documentation.
- Marian Stirling, Matthew's wife and research partner, completed the dating of Stela C found at Tres Zapotes.
- The Stela C dating placed Olmec civilization hundreds of years before the Classic Maya period.
Site mentioned
Sources
Olmec Colossal Headssmarthistory.org
16 heads, ranging from 1.47 m to 3.4 m in height and weighing between 6 and 25.3 tons, have been recovered from the three main Olmec ...
The Olmec Colossal Heads of MesoAmerica360onhistory.com
The Olmec Colossal Heads of MesoAmerica are giant sculptures of heads that were part of the Olmec culture and History in Mexico.
Olmec colossal headsen.wikipedia.org
Tres Zapotes Monument A (also known as Tres Zapotes Colossal Head 1) was the first colossal head to be found, discovered by accident in the middle of ...
Smart Traveler's Guide To The Olmec Headscaravan.com
The Olmec Colossal Heads range in size. The smallest is the Tres Zapotes Monument Q. It's 4.8 ft. (1.45 m) tall, 4.4 ft. (1.34 m) wide, and 4.1 ft. (1.26 m.) ...
Tres Zapotesen.wikipedia.org
It is thought that the two colossal heads date from this period. It was near Tres Zapotes that the first colossal head was discovered in 1862 by José Melgar.
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