At San Lorenzo Tenochtitlan, the
original Olmec Homeland, the Olmec
builders incorporated stone
drainage or water conduits
constructed from basalt.
They erected ten sculptured heads of
basalt weighing as much as 20 tons
each. They hauled these stones 50
miles from the distant volcano of the
Tuxtla mountains near present-day
Catemaco.
At another site, Tres Zapotes, archaeologists discovered the first Olmec head and during a 1939
excavation archaeologist Mathew Sterling  discovered a stela bearing a long count date of 32
BC.
San Lorenzo was first excavated by Archaeologist Mathew Stirling in 1941 and later by
Archaeologists Michael Coe and Richard Diehl in 1967 the site as mapped by the Coe
expedition shows artificial enlargement of plateaus to 150 feet in height on which the Olmecs
built their ritual center and surrounding settlement
An extensive system of basalt tiles, some of which are in the small museum at the site, show
engineering prowess  by the inhabitants of the Olmec city and have been proposed as potable
water carrying aqueducts.

At San Lorenzo, excavators found ten Colossal heads sculpted from blocks of basalt that had
been hauled 60 miles from the Tuxtla mountains to the site which at the time was an Island in
the Coatzacoalcos River.  Head # 1 of 17 so far found and numbered in the order of discovery  
is at the Museum of Anthropology in Jalapa, the capital of Veracruz State.
Unusual black stones with holes that could be fishing net weights have puzzled researcher and
visitor alike. One theory proposed is that they are iron ore devices used to generate sound,
others propose a use as wearable armor.

Archaeological features will escape all but the trained eye. The museum, however, is worth the
visit for devotees of the Olmec.
San Lorenzo Tenochtitlan, Olmec Homeland, Olmec Ruin Site, Veracruz, Mexico
Colossal Olmec head # 10 sculpted from
a 20- ton block of basalt brought 60 miles from
the Tuxtla Mountains is now in the museum at
San Lorenzo Tenochtitlan, Veracruz State,
Mexico.

The Olmec settlement on the site was active
from  1200 BC to  900 BC  on the
Coatzacoalcos River drainage system.  The
ruin site was first excavated by Archaeologist
Mathew Stirling in 1941 and later by
Archaeologists Michael Coe and Richard
Diehl in 1967,
Reaching San Lorenzo and the Olmec Homeland:
Bus out of Tapo or Norte for Veracruz.  From Veracruz head to Coatzacoalcos or Minatitlan south east
of Catemaco.  Then head by local bus to Acayucan where you get a collective taxi for the ten miles to the
small farming village of San Lorenzo.  (San Lorenzo Tenochtitlan. On some maps just Tenochtitlan)
From Oaxaca , ADO first Class bus to  Acayucan, Coatzacoalcos or Minatitlan.  Bus to Acayucan, taxi to
San Lorenzo
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San Lorenzo Tenochtitlan, the original Olmec Homeland was
first excavated by Archaeologist Mathew Stirling in 1941 and
later in 1967.
The 67 Michael Coe expedition found artificial enlargement of
plateaus near the Coatzacoalcos River to 150 feet in height.
Olmec Homeland, San
Lorenzo Tenochtitlan
is now a small farming village
in the basin of the
Coatzacoalcos River.

One of three villages in the
area  with Olmec sites, San
Lorenzo Tenochtitlan was
home to the Olmecs from
1200 BC to 900BC. There
they built a complex of
artificial plateaus reaching
150 feet in height according
to the mapping of
Archaeologist Michael Coe.
("The Olmecs,"  Richard
Diehl)
Olmec sculpture was moved to the Jalapa Museum of Anthropology in
Jalapa (Xalapa) in the state of Vera Cruz