Male Stone Statues Essay

Young male stone statue (fig 1) originally found on El Azuzul in Veracruz, which located few kilometer away from Olmec site of San Lorenzo. This stone statue was excavated with the stylized feline stone sculpture (fig 2) and another young male stone statue. Both young male stone statues visual aspects are identical to each other like twins, even both statue’s headdresses have similar damage indents in similar place. Two young male stone statues facing to feline sculpture one behind another like they keeling to jaguar. Feline sculpture has several traits that indicate it was recarved. The young male stone statue and feline sculpture was commissioned by Olmec elites for reenactments the mythological event.
Only extremely wealthy and powerful people could afford basalt stone statues. According to archeologist Ann Cyphers, importing raw material of basalt and craft activities were directly controlled by the elite. Basalt stone imported from Tuxtla Mountain by …show more content…
Sculptures were used in ensembles or group to reenactments of mythological or historical event. From how the three sculptures were arrange and characteristics of the two young male stone statues its reminiscent later period myths from the Maya and Central Mexican cultures about twins and jaguars young heroic twin gods of the Popol Vuh. According to archeologist Ann Cyphers, “twin gods are associated with sun and light, these twins face east, the direction of sunrise and the first source of light.” According to archeologist Prudence M. Rice, feline sculpture recalls the one of the twins in the Popol Vuh Xbalanque, or “little jaguar/sun.” Currently no writing systems founded from Olmec culture, so they communicated with vocal and visually. Olmec elite used the sculptures to reenactments the event for telling people myth in visually and recorded the stories to never forget about