Parque La Venta Villahermosa Mexico,
Olmec Heads
Travel Pictures And Photos

George And Audrey DeLange

Parque La Venta Olmec Museum, Villahermosa, Mexico: One of the best places to look for evidence that other people from Europe, The Middle East, Africa, and Asia lived in the so called "New World" before it was discovered by Columbus in 1492 AD! Villahermosa is the capital city of the state of Tabasco and is a bustling city with a high pitched pace and all that goes with it. Being the crossroads of two main rivers, one can easily understand the trade implications going back to prehistory. Parque La Venta Museum is a wonderful getaway within the city for anyone wishing to see the works of the ancient ancestors of the Maya, the Olmec. There are 28 Olmec carvings at this outdoor museum with its interesting zoo, lake, and indoor museum. Each piece was set carefully for optimum viewing with benches placed for those wishing to meditate or ponder. However, Parque La Venta should not be confused with the archaeological site of La Venta which is located about 100 kilometers away on the Gulf Coast. The archaeological site is where most of the artifacts shown at Parque La Venta were transported from. Since the archaeological site of La Venta is in an area rich with oil fields, the carvings found at the site were moved to the La Venta Park for their protection. It is at La Venta Park that the famous ten foot high Olmec heads were found. There are also a few at the La Venta museum and archaeological site, each with their own enigmatic features. Intricately carved and massive in size, these heads are a stunning example of the sophisticated artistry employed by the ancient Olmec. You can follow the links at the bottom of this page to our web pages showing pictures, maps, and descriptions of the archaeological site of La Venta. LaVenta archaeological site is located on an island in the midst of a swamp near the Tonala River near the Eastern edge of the Olmec cultural area. The buildings in LaVenta are aligned in a N-S axis. The many altars found in LaVenta are thought to actually be thrones. After visiting LaVenta archaeological site and studying the archaeological research coming out of this area; those who say the only people native to the American Continent migrated down the Bering Sea Land Bridge are having to modify their hypothesis. The evidence simply is overwhelming that there were many other migrations from Europe, The Middle East, Asia, and Africa. There is evidence that the Olmec people were on the North American continent more than 10,000 years ago. The first documentation of shamanistic practices in Mesoamerica occur during the Formative period of the Olmec. The first depictions show the shaman being transformed into the deified form of the jaguar. Their highest civilization dates from 1,200 B.C., although they were at their peak in this area from 800 to 300 B.C. Many believe the Olmec were the cradle civilization for the genepool of Mesoamerica, even calling the Olmecs ¨the mother culture of Mesoamerica. Accordingly to The Gods and Symbols of Ancient Mexico and the Maya by Mary Miller and Karl Taube, ¨The Olmecs were the first people in Mesoamerica to create a codified religious universe that we can recognize today through the surviving art. There is little doubt that the Olmec reverence for the prime deities represented by the jaguar, serpent and eagle, had a major influence on the Maya, Central Mexican and Zapotec concepts of these deities. The Olmecs probably founded writing in the Mexico. Dr. Coe, in "Olmec Jaguar and Olmec Kings" (1968), suggested that the beliefs of the Maya were of Olmec origin and that the pre Maya were Olmecs (1968,p.103). This agreed with Brainerd and Sharer's, The ancient Maya (1983,p.65) concept of colonial Olmec at Maya sites. Moreover, this view is supported by the appearance of jaguar stucco mask pyramids (probably built by the Olmecs) under Mayan pyramids e.g., Cerros Structure 5-C-2nd, Uxaxacatun pyramid and structure 5D-22 at Tikal. This would conform to Schele and Freidel's belief that the monumental structures of the Maya were derived from Olmec prototypes. The Olmecs left behind a rich culture/ civilizations that has made the later civilizations of the Zapotecs and Maya some of the greatest civilizations in World History. There are also several other Olmec sites that are giving us a new view of the many achievements of the Olmec People. Some of these sites are Izapa and San Lorenzo.