Las Limas Monument 1

Las Limas Monument 1
At highest resolution, the shallow incisions on the shoulders, legs, and face can be clearly seen
MaterialGreenstone
Height55 cm (22 in)
CreatedMiddle Formative Period (1000 BCE – 600 BCE)
Discovered1965
near Jesús Carranza, Veracruz, Mexico
Present locationXalapa Museum of Anthropology, Veracruz
CultureOlmec

Las Limas Monument 1, also known as the Las Limas figure or the Señor de las Limas, is a 55 centimetres (22 in) greenstone figure of a youth holding a limp were-jaguar baby. Found in the State of Veracruz, Mexico, in the Olmec heartland, the statue is famous for its incised representations of Olmec supernaturals. It is the largest known greenstone sculpture.[1]

Interpretation

Sculptures of headdressed figures holding inert were-jaguar babies appear often in the Olmec archaeological record, from the smallest of figurines to the huge table-top thrones such as La Venta Altar 5.

What these sculptures symbolised to the Olmecs is not clear. Some researchers, focusing on the symbolic cave surrounding the figure on Altar 5 believe that these sculptures relate to myths of spiritual journeys or human origins. Others find that the limp depiction of the were-jaguar baby denotes child sacrifice.[2]

  • Figure from right shoulder, generally identified as the Banded-eye God. The narrow band running through the nose and down the face of this supernatural is nearly identical to the incised bands running down the youth's face.[3]
    Figure from right shoulder, generally identified as the Banded-eye God. The narrow band running through the nose and down the face of this supernatural is nearly identical to the incised bands running down the youth's face.[3]
  • Figure from right leg, generally identified as the Olmec Dragon. The X-like symbol here covering the eye is also seen on the were-jaguar baby's chest. It is a common Olmec motif.
    Figure from right leg, generally identified as the Olmec Dragon. The X-like symbol here covering the eye is also seen on the were-jaguar baby's chest. It is a common Olmec motif.
  • Figure from left shoulder, generally identified as the Bird Monster. The "flame eyebrows" seen on this image are a common Olmec motif.
    Figure from left shoulder, generally identified as the Bird Monster. The "flame eyebrows" seen on this image are a common Olmec motif.
  • Figure from left leg, generally identified as the Fish or Shark Monster
    Figure from left leg, generally identified as the Fish or Shark Monster

History

Las Limas, in relation to the other Olmec heartland sites. The yellow dots represent ancient habitation sites, while the red dots represent artifact finds.

The statue is 55 cm (22 in) high, 42 cm (17 in) wide, and weighs an estimated 60 kg (130 lb). It was probably carved during the Middle Formative Period, some time between 1000 and 600 BCE).[4]

The statue was discovered 16 July 1965 in near Jesús Carranza, Veracruz, by two local children, Rosa and Severiano Paschal Manuel. Dug out and taken to their nearby home, it was declared "La Virgen de las Limas" and set up on its own altar. Word of the find reached archaeologists in Xalapa. After promising to keep the statue on display and to build a local school, the archaeologists moved the sculpture to the Xalapa Museum of Anthropology, in Veracruz.[5]

Five years later, in October 1970, the statue was stolen from the museum, only later to be found in a motel room in San Antonio, Texas; it had been apparently too famous to be sold on the black market.[6] It was subsequently restored to display at the Xalapa Museum of Anthropology.

References

  1. ^ Miller, p. 31.
  2. ^ Pool, p. 116.
  3. ^ These identifications can be found, among other places, in Joralemon (1996), p. 53-54.
  4. ^ Pool, p. 116.
  5. ^ Diehl, p. 58.
  6. ^ Navarro. See also Journal of Field Archaeology, p. 217.

Sources

Further reading

  • Joralemon, Peter David (1971) "A Study in Olmec Iconography", in Studies in Pre-Columbian Art and Archaeology No. 7, Dumbarton Oaks, Washington, D.C.