Matthew Stirling had already led an expedition to San Lorenzo in 1938. He and Marion Stirling left Washington, D.C., in late January 1946 for a final expedition, excavating the 30-ton “El Rey” head—found in 1945—and a large Olmec assemblage. The San Lorenzo material is catalogued under Colossal Heads 1–10 and Monuments 1–61, including colossal heads, altars and thrones, statues, circular altars and stelae. Across the site, more than 200 stone objects and monuments were recovered. Surface pottery included early forms later seen at La Venta. On an elevated plateau above fertile river valleys, San Lorenzo is widely regarded as the earliest known major Olmec center and the formative phase of the Olmec tradition.
Stirlings excavate early Olmec center of San Lorenzo in 1946
MexicoGeneral
Key facts
- The archaeologists were Matthew and Marion Stirling. Matthew had already led an expedition to San Lorenzo in 1938, so the 1946 trip was a return expedition rather than the site's initial discovery.
- The 30-ton colossal head known as El Rey, San Lorenzo Monument 2, was found in 1945 by Stirling's guide and excavated by Matthew Stirling in 1946.
- San Lorenzo Colossal Heads 1–10 and Monuments 1–61 are catalogue series and include objects found before 1946; they should not be presented as 61 monuments and ten heads all first discovered that year.
- San Lorenzo yielded more than 200 stone objects and monuments, many made of basalt, including colossal heads, altars and thrones, statues, circular altars and stelae. Surface pottery included early forms later seen at La Venta.
- San Lorenzo is widely regarded as the earliest known major Olmec center. It occupies an elevated plateau above fertile river valleys.
Sources
The Olmec Colossal Heads - History Hithistoryhit.com
The Olmec colossal heads are believed to depict local rulers or other people of great importance. There are many mysteries surrounding these monuments of ...
San Lorenzo (archaeological site) | Anthropology | Research Startersebsco.com
Archaeological interest in San Lorenzo was notably heightened in the 1930s and 1940s through the explorations of Matthew Stirling and later detailed excavations ...
Matthew Williams Stirling with Cast of Olmec Headsi.edu
The original stone head was excavated by Smithsonian-National Geographic Expedition led by Stirling to Vera Cruz, Mexico, in 1946. ... Cast Of San Lorenzo Head No ...
Olmec colossal heads - Wikipediaen.wikipedia.org
San Lorenzo Colossal Head 1, now at the Xalapa Museum of Anthropology in Veracruz ... The head was discovered by Matthew Stirling in 1946, 550 metres (600 ...
Colossal head monument 2 from the San Lorenzo site.lithiccastinglab.com
This large colossal head was found on the San Lorenzo site in 1945 by Mathew Stirling's guide. ... It was excavated in 1946 by Matthew Stirling.
Discovering the Olmecs: An Unconventional Historyjstor.org
Stirling and Drucker's 1946 excavations at San Lorenzo and Medellín's 1960 explorations at Laguna de los Cerros were never fully published.
M.W. Stirling field notebook: San Lorenzo, 1946sova.si.edu
M.W. Stirling field notebook: San Lorenzo | Field notes and other documentation | Mexico | Field work | Matthew Williams Stirling and Marion Stirling Pugh
Sterlings discover San Lorenzo as Olmec birthplace in 1946ancientnerds.com
In January 1946, Matthew Stirling reached San Lorenzo in Veracruz. They discovered a massive colossal head (El Rey) and over 200 more basalt ...
Was this story useful?
Keep exploring
Every site on this page sits on the globe, and the people who research them are on the Discord.
3D Globe · Sites by country · Story Archive · Research Library · Weekly Journal · Search
AI-generated text · images from the original sources · always verify with the sources.