Olmec reliefs of "contortionist" rulers found in Mexico

[Judi Lynn]

Archaeologists have discovered two carved reliefs from the late Olmec period (900-400 B.C.) in Villahermosa, Tabasco, southeastern Mexico. The reliefs are carved from large round slabs of limestone 4.6 feet in diameter and weigh more than 1,500 pounds apiece. Each relief features a man wearing a headdress formed out of four corncobs, his face contorted in a grimace — mouths open and turned down, eyes wide. In the center of the headdress is an “Olmec cross,” a glyph of a jaguar that was a marker of elite status. The faces take up almost all of the real estate, bordered by footprints on the sides and arms crossed underneath.





The Olmecs are the earliest known major Mesoamerican civilization. They held sway over what is now Mexico’s southern Gulf Coast region from around 1600 B.C. until their extinction (for reasons unknown) in 400 B.C. Olmec culture is most famously associated with the colossal helmeted heads carved out of massive basalt boulders. The recently-discovered reliefs have features in common with the iconic heads.

Mexico’s National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) was alerted to the existence of the reliefs in June 2019 by an anonymous tipster. They were in a private home in Villahermosa. After examination, INAH experts confirmed their authenticity. The homeowner said he had found them while leveling agricultural land on his farm in Tenosique. (A very similar circular relief was found in Tenosique in 2000.) Archaeologists plan to survey the find site in hopes of narrowing down the date of the carvings.



Among the reliefs known from the late Olmec horizon (all from informal excavations), when La Venta emerged as the guiding center of the nuclear area of ​​this civilization, five of them represent figures of “contortionists”, one of which comes from Balancán and is exposed in the Regional Museum of Anthropology, in Villahermosa; another one, from Ejido Emiliano Zapata, and is in the Museum of the Archaeological Site of Pomoná; and three, from Tenosique, including the one registered in 2000 and these last two.

More:
http://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/64868

Friday, August 12th, 2022 at 11:12 PM

[Pinback]

1. Amazing find.

Thanks for this information!

[Judi Lynn]

2. Definitely ancient carvings. Thank you, Pinback, for taking the time. 👋

[Judi Lynn]

3. Twin 'grumpy mouth' reliefs of Olmec contortionists discovered in Mexico

By Jennifer Nalewicki published 4 days ago

Contortion supposedly "gave them powers."

Archaeologists in Mexico have uncovered two Olmec reliefs chiseled into large, circular stones that are thought to depict local rulers performing ritual contortion.

The twin pieces were found in Tenosique, a town located in the state of Tabasco, near Mexico's southern tip, and are believed to feature rulers from the ancient Olmec civilization, whose name comes from the Aztec (Nahuatl) word "Ōlmēcatl," which means "rubber people." The Olmec reigned between 1200 B.C. to 400 B.C. and are considered the first elaborate pre-Hispanic civilization in Mesoamerica(opens in new tab). Today, they're best known for their sculptures of colossal heads(opens in new tab) .

Constructed of limestone, the massive 3D sculptures measure approximately 4.5 feet (1.4 meters) in diameter and weigh 1,543 pounds (700 kilograms) each. The two carved monuments portray the faces of local rulers with their "grumpy mouth[s]" agape and their arms crossed, according to a translated statement. Each piece is punctuated by footprints, a diadem, corncobs, an Olmec cross and glyphs of jaguars, with the leaders' open mouths alluding to the "roar of the jaguar."

Researchers from the Ministry of Culture of the Government of Mexico, part of the Mexican National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) Tabasco Center, the organization that recovered the pieces, noted that what's most striking about the reliefs is the positioning of the figures' mouths, since they're carved as though they're "ajaw." This signals to archaeologists that the portraits, which date to between 900 B.C and 400 B.C., were that of important figureheads within the Olmec community.

More:
https://www.livescience.com/olmec-contortionist-reliefs-mexico

[Vogon_Glory]

4. My evil mind has gotten away with me

I’m trying to guess which of our #1’s were limber enough to do that when they were in office.

So far I’ve concluded

(1) Reagan: No

(2) George HW Bush: No

(3) Bill Clinton: Possibly, possibly not

(4) George W. Bush: Again, possibly, possibly not

(5) Barrack Obama: Yes

(6) Donald Trump: DEFINITELY NOT

(7). Joe Biden: No