Olmecs masks in the region of Arroyo Pesquero

Summary

In a detailed analysis of some figurines of the offering 4 of La Venta, we observed that some of them were carved wearing a mask. This is hardly visible because the representation of the mask is a realistic human face. It seems to have a close relationship with the stone masks found a few kilometers from La Venta, in the site of Arroyo Pesquero, Veracruz, a site of Olmec offering reported in 1969 by the archaeologist Manuel Torres where a lot of lithic material was discovered. Among these there are axes, figurines and masks of stone, which reproduce realistic human faces with particular characteristics, as if they were trying to represent a particular individual. In other collections we have found identical trait in some figurines in Olmec style, which have the same representation as if they were wearing a mask. This evidence reveals the use of masks in rituals by living people and not just as part of funerary paraphernalia. What was the meaning of these masks? Are they related to a particular period and region? These are some of the subjects addressed in this presentation.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 82nd Annual Meeting, Vancouver, BC (2017)

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 16387