Olmec Sculpture - La Venta, Tabasco, Mexico
Monumental stone sculpture was a trademark of the Olmec people who lived along the
Southern Gulf Coast Lowlands of Veracruz and Tabasco, Mexico. During the Mesoamerican
Formative period (c. 1250 to 400 BC), the inhabitants carved symbolic representation
of rulership and ideology on massive blocks of basalt stone. All stone had to be
imported, usually from distances beyond 50 kilometers and individual blocks weighing
20 to 40 tons. The iconographic scenes depicted in the sculptures can provide researchers
with information about the people and their worldview. These 3,000 year old stones
are suffering from exposure to the elements and are losing much of their informational
value. The Alliance for Integrated Spatial Technologies scanned dozens of the monuments
from the site of La Venta in Tabasco in collaboration with
Dr. Mary Pohl from the Florida State University.
Later, the scan data will be made available for scholars
around the world to use in their research. At the same time, the sculptures are
virtually preserved in their current state.
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