San Lorenzo Tenochtitlan: ten miles by
collective taxi or auto from Acayucan, south of
Veracruz
Location: 19*26.60' N, 99*5.60' W
Near Coatzacoalcos and Acayucan
Culture: Olmec
Area: Spread over three small villages along
the river estuary, 1200 acres
Date: Occupied from 1500 to 400 BC
Peak occupation 1200BC - 900BC
Construction: artificial earthen plateaus and
mounds
Population: 15,000
Museum: Small, with single stone Olmec
sculptured head, other sculptures.
Fee:
Hours: Museum 8:AM to 3: PM
Notable Features:
Archaeological features will escape all but
the trained eye. The museum, however, is
worth the visit for devotees of the Olmec.
collective taxi or auto from Acayucan, south of
Veracruz
Location: 19*26.60' N, 99*5.60' W
Near Coatzacoalcos and Acayucan
Culture: Olmec
Area: Spread over three small villages along
the river estuary, 1200 acres
Date: Occupied from 1500 to 400 BC
Peak occupation 1200BC - 900BC
Construction: artificial earthen plateaus and
mounds
Population: 15,000
Museum: Small, with single stone Olmec
sculptured head, other sculptures.
Fee:
Hours: Museum 8:AM to 3: PM
Notable Features:
Archaeological features will escape all but
the trained eye. The museum, however, is
worth the visit for devotees of the Olmec.
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 and the building up of the earth to
form plateaus beside the river. The settlement was once on an island in the
Coatzacoalcos River drainage system.
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 settlement and
have been proposed as aqueducts for carrying potable water.
At San Lorenzo, excavators found ten Colossal heads sculpted from 20- ton
blocks of basalt that had been hauled 60 miles from the Tuxtla mountains to the
site which at the time was in the midst of the Coatzacoalcos River.
Head # 1 of 17 so far found and numbered in the order of discovery, is at the
Museum of Anthropology in Xalapa, (Jalapa) the capitol 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 have them as fishing weights, others as body
armor.
Archaeological features are not evident; the museum, however, is worth the visit for
devotees of the Olmec.
Archaeologists Michael Coe and Richard Diehl in 1967, the site as mapped by the
Coe expedition shows artificial enlargement and the building up of the earth to
form plateaus beside the river. The settlement was once on an island in the
Coatzacoalcos River drainage system.
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 settlement and
have been proposed as aqueducts for carrying potable water.
At San Lorenzo, excavators found ten Colossal heads sculpted from 20- ton
blocks of basalt that had been hauled 60 miles from the Tuxtla mountains to the
site which at the time was in the midst of the Coatzacoalcos River.
Head # 1 of 17 so far found and numbered in the order of discovery, is at the
Museum of Anthropology in Xalapa, (Jalapa) the capitol 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 have them as fishing weights, others as body
armor.
Archaeological features are not evident; the museum, however, is worth the visit for
devotees of the Olmec.
Sculptures found at the san Lorenzo and La Venta sites have been moved to the
La Venta Museum in Villa Hermosa and the Museum of Anthropology in Xalapa.
La Venta Museum in Villa Hermosa and the Museum of Anthropology in Xalapa.
San Lorenzo, Olmec Homeland, Veracruz State, Mexico
| San Lorenzo, Olmec Homeland Veracruz, Mexico |
The large Olmec heads have been moved to the
museum in Jalapa
museum in Jalapa
The small Museum in the village of
San Lorenzo Tenochtitlan
San Lorenzo Tenochtitlan
To protect the Olmec Heads of
San Lorenzo from farming
activities and to preserve
others at La Venta from oil
development, the large Olmec
heads have been moved to the
museum in Jalapa Veracruz
State and to the La Venta
Museum in Villa Hermosa,
Tabasco State
San Lorenzo from farming
activities and to preserve
others at La Venta from oil
development, the large Olmec
heads have been moved to the
museum in Jalapa Veracruz
State and to the La Venta
Museum in Villa Hermosa,
Tabasco State
Reaching San Lorenzo and the Olmec Homeland:
Bus out of Mexico City 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. Just Tenochtitlan
on some maps)
From Oaxaca , ADO first Class bus to Coatzacoalcos or Minatitlan bus to Acayucan, taxi to San Lorenzo.
Have lots of small change for taxis and water. (5 and 10 peso, 20 peso max.) Cash is scarce in remote
areas of Mexico
Bus out of Mexico City 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. Just Tenochtitlan
on some maps)
From Oaxaca , ADO first Class bus to Coatzacoalcos or Minatitlan bus to Acayucan, taxi to San Lorenzo.
Have lots of small change for taxis and water. (5 and 10 peso, 20 peso max.) Cash is scarce in remote
areas of Mexico
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