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Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Fascinating New Olmec find at Tak'alik Ab'aj
Jeff Stivers
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Recent
archaeological excavations of the National Project Tak'alik Ab'aj have produced
a stream of discoveries of very important sculptures this year. The sculpture
of the Carrier of the Ancestor of Tak'alik Ab'aj is an
unprecedented finding. The large four-side stele poses interesting questions
for archaeologists as it straddles the murky transition between the Olmec
and Maya.
This
sculpture presents an imposing character, decorated with insignias of power
with certain Olmec characteristics such as the sign U on the sash. Something
very surprising is that this character is carrying a small human figure on his
back. This small human figure has the position of his arms on his chest and
hands folded down, and very straight legs, similar to those infants who are
often found in the lap of the Olmec jade figures. These infant figures have
been interpreted by some archaeologists as divine beings or ancestors. The
quality of the volume and complete form of the sculpture conveys the formal
concepts of Olmec art sculpture; however, this sculpture seems strange.
This story was originally published in The Guatemala Times. Please follow this link for more information (The Guatemala Times).
