Were-jaguar cult predominates over colossal heads across hundreds of Olmec artifacts

Were-jaguar cult predominates over colossal heads across hundreds of Olmec artifacts. Were-jaguar depictions are far more prevalent than colossal heads in Olmec art Found at La Venta, San Lorenzo, Laguna de los Cerros (western citadel), and Tres Zapotes (later epi-Olmec city, c. 200 BC) Olmec civilization spanned from approximately 1800 BC to about 200 BC

Were-jaguar imagery vastly outnumbers colossal heads in Olmec art, appearing across hundreds to thousands of artifacts across the Olmec heartland. The Olmec civilization flourished from roughly 1500 to 400 BC. A stunning cache at La Venta depicts a sacred procession of figures. 🐆

Key Facts

• Were-jaguar depictions are far more prevalent than colossal heads in Olmec art
• Found at La Venta, San Lorenzo, Laguna de los Cerros (western citadel), and Tres Zapotes (later epi-Olmec city, c. 200 BC)
• Olmec civilization spanned from approximately 1800 BC to about 200 BC
• Were-jaguar imagery appears on hundreds to thousands of Olmec artifacts from Tabasco to Mexico City
• A cache discovered beside La Venta was made of gray and red stones with five serpentine stools featuring carvings
• The cache depicts a sacred procession of approximately two dozen people
• The cache was found at the base of the Great Pyramid of La Venta in front of five or six stools, recreating a ritual event tied to the were-jaguar cult

Source: The Problem with the Olmec Heads by Luke Caverns