Ojo de Agua

Ojo de Agua is an Early Formative period (1200-1000 BC) archaeological site on the Pacific coast of Chiapas, Mexico, in the ancient province of Soconusco. Covering approximately 200 hectares, it is the earliest known Mesoamerican site with formal pyramids built around plazas. A 3,000-year-old Olmec-style carved stone monument (Monument 3) was discovered in 2009 during irrigation work, depicting a figure wearing a corn god headdress and jaguar-head belt buckle, demonstrating the early importance of maize in religious practice. The carved volcanic slab weighs roughly 130 pounds and dates to 1100-1000 BC.