Unfinished Olmec colossal head found at Llano del Jicaro quarry

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Key facts

• Alfredo Delgado, head of the Xalapa Museum, discovered an unfinished Olmec colossal head at the Llano del Jicaro quarry in the Tuxtla Mountains, Veracruz, Mexico.
• The presenter says this could be the 18th known Olmec colossal head, following 17 previously discovered.
• The block shows early shaping of a face, ears and a headband or hat, but remains partly uncarved, with a crack running through the stone.
• The presenter argues that the crack likely caused the block to be abandoned unfinished.
• The head was cleared of debris with a paintbrush and scanned to document its condition without damaging it.
• The presenter proposes that final carving may have been completed at a nearer workshop such as Laguna de los Cerros, which he identifies as a workshop site.
• The presenter suggests the head may have been intended for La Venta or San Lorenzo, where colossal heads are especially numerous.

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