mexico, state of veracruz, río pesquero, gulf coast olmec culture
The vast Mesoamerican culture area encompasses most of what is today
Mask
the Olmec, built Mesoamerica’s earliest planned ceremonial centers, and,
900–500 bc
through colossal stone heads and figural sculpture, established a tradi‑
Jadeite
tion of portraiture. This life‑size mask is one of a number recovered from
7 1/* × 65/* × 4 in. ( 18.1 × 16.8 × 10.2 cm) Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Eugene McDermott and The Eugene McDermott Foundation and Mr. and Mrs. Algur H.
central and southeastern Mexico, Guatemala, and Belize, and the western areas of Honduras and El Salvador. Its first highly developed civilization,
Río Pesquero, Veracruz, after fishermen discovered hundreds of Olmec jade and serpentine objects there, underwater, in the late 1960s. The quantity
Meadows and the Meadows Foundation, Incorporated,
and quality of the ritually cached objects, together with nearby evidence
1973.17
of ceremonial architecture and monumental sculpture, suggest that Río Pesquero was an important Olmec shrine from about 900 to 500 bc. Many objects from the site, including the dma’s mask, have an altered surface color, which may indicate that they were burned, possibly in ritual cremation.
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ancient and native american
3121-02 DMA handbook Ancient [RCP 10-7].indd 36
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