Olmec Stone Rod Depicting a Jaguar-Headed Snake - PF.6188, Origin: Mexico, Circa: 900 BC to 300 BC, Dimensions: 15.25" (38.7cm) high, Collection: Pre-Columbian, Style: Olmec, Medium: Stone. Considered to be the mother culture of Mesoamerican civilizations, the Olmec ruled a vast empire covering much of southern Mexico from around 1300-400 B.C. Today, they are famed for their colossal heads, giant sculptures that first alerted scholars to their existence in the latter half of the 19th Century. Scholars continue to debate whether these monumental sculptures depict the heads of rulers and kings or decapitated sacrificial victims. Thus, when the meaning of the most well-known monuments of the Olmec culture is open to debate, little can be known for sure about these mysterious people.

Antiquities
Ancient Central America & Mexico