When they told me there was an Olmec head in the middle of the town plaza, I didn't quite process it right. OK, check, an Olmec head. Then, as we're strolling around at night, I see it.
And I feel my knees bend on their own a little. Yes, there is an Olmec head in the middle of the town plaza.
Instantly, I felt I needed to start dancing. No idea.
This is tiny Santiago Tuxtla, Veracruz (pop. 15,225), and they call my friend seen here in the rear the "Cobata head," the largest of 17 so far discovered or excavated in Mexico. These heads, whose purpose or use is still unknown, are precious remnants of the Olmec civilization, the first advanced culture in Mesoamerica, emerging as early as 1,500 years before Christ.
The Cobata head is unique because it's the only one found with its eyes closed. Here it is in daylight. More here, and more later.
