La Venta

E34089

La Venta is an important ancient Olmec archaeological site in present-day Tabasco, Mexico, known for its colossal stone heads and early Mesoamerican ceremonial architecture.


Statements (51)
Predicate Object
instanceOf Mesoamerican archaeological site
Olmec site
archaeological site
associatedWith Olmec civilization
country Mexico
culture Olmec civilization
currentCondition partially preserved
discoveredIn 1920s
endDate c. 400 BCE
excavatedBy Matthew Stirling
Philip Drucker
Robert Heizer
Waldo Wedel
firstMajorInvestigations 1940s
floruit c. 900–400 BCE
followedBy Tres Zapotes
function ceremonial center
political center
religious center
hasPart Altars
Colossal Heads
Complex A
Complex B
Complex C
Complex D
Great Plaza
Great Pyramid
Stelae
knownFor altars and thrones
basalt monuments
ceremonial architecture
colossal stone heads
complex urban-ceremonial layout
early Mesoamerican monumental art
earthen pyramids
locatedIn Mexico
Tabasco
municipality of Huimanguillo
materialUsed basalt
clay
earth fill
notableFeature burials with rich offerings
earliest known large pyramid in Mesoamerica built of earth
mosaic pavements made of serpentine blocks
numberOfColossalHeads at least 4
orientation north–south axis
partiallyDestroyedBy petroleum industry activities
precededBy San Lorenzo Tenochtitlán
region Gulf Coast of Mexico
startDate c. 1200 BCE
timePeriod Middle Formative period

Referenced by (3)
Subject (surface form when different) Predicate
Mesoamerica
Olmec civilization
majorSite
San Lorenzo Tenochtitlán
followedBy

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