San Lorenzo was an early Olmec center occupied by about 1500 BCE and flourishing mainly around 1400–1100 BCE. About 10 colossal basalt heads have been recovered there, with stone carried roughly 90 km from the Sierra de los Tuxtlas. The site's largest is Head 2; El Rey is at La Venta, whose largest head weighs about 21–25 tonnes, not 50. The video argues that the Olmec “sprang into existence” with no precursor. The archaeological record instead includes earlier Formative and Pre-Olmec traditions and phased development, making that an interpretation rather than an established fact.
Video’s “Olmec from nowhere” claim clashes with San Lorenzo’s archaeology
MexicoGeneral
Key facts
- San Lorenzo was occupied by about 1500 BCE and flourished chiefly around 1400–1100 BCE; the 3000 BCE and 1800 BCE dates are unsupported.
- About 10 colossal heads have been recovered at San Lorenzo, not 17.
- Basalt for the heads came from the Sierra de los Tuxtlas, roughly 90 km away.
- Head 2 is the largest head at San Lorenzo. El Rey is at La Venta, whose largest head weighs roughly 21–25 tonnes, not 50 tonnes.
- The video argues that the Olmec “sprang into existence” without precursors. The archaeological record includes earlier Formative and Pre-Olmec traditions and phased development, so this is the presenter’s interpretation rather than an established fact.
- San Lorenzo is not an accepted example of a civilization that appeared fully formed without gradual development.
Sources
San Lorenzo Tenochtitlán - Wikipediaen.wikipedia.org
Along with La Venta and Tres Zapotes, it was one of the three major cities of the Olmec, and the major center of Olmec culture from 1400 BCE to 900 BCE. San ...
The Historic Olmec City of San Lorenzo - ThoughtCothoughtco.com
Considered by some archaeologists to be the first true Mesoamerican city, San Lorenzo was a very important center of Olmec commerce, religion, and political ...
San Lorenzo | Ancient City, Facts, Olmec, & Colossal Headsbritannica.com
The oldest known center of Olmec civilization, San Lorenzo dates to about the 12th century BCE. The site is most noted for its extraordinary stone monuments ...
Monumental Mexico - the art and culture of the Olmecsminervamagazine.com
Around 1000 BC, we can see that San Lorenzo encountered difficulties and ceased to be the centre of power in the Olmec world. The exact causes of its ...
Olmec History Tour in Mexico - Far Horizonsfarhorizons.com
By no later than 1200 BC, San Lorenzo Tenochtitlán had emerged as the most prominent Olmec center and largest settlement in Mesoamerica. Without city walls for ...
San Lorenzo (Mexico) - Olmec Civilization in Veracruzthoughtco.com
The archaeological site of San Lorenzo is the royal center of the larger San Lorenzo Tenochtitlan Olmec period site. San Lorenzo is an Olmec ...
San Lorenzo Tenochtitlán - The First Olmec Centreheritagedaily.com
“San Lorenzo Tenochtitlán” was coined by archaeologist Matthew Stirling in 1955, who begun excavating the area in 1938, and named the cluster ...
(PDF) San Lorenzoacademia.edu
San Lorenzo was the first capital of the Olmec civilization, thriving from 1400 to 1000 BC. · The plateau construction involved moving 2.2 million tons of earth, ...
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