Before the observatories of the Maya and the pyramids of the Aztec, one civilization flourished in South America. The “mother culture” of Mesoamerica, the Olmec, is the oldest civilization of the Americas. While the Olmec civilization is recognized for setting the blueprint for subsequent civilizations with its innovations ranging from culture such as religious systems and temples to sport like Mesoamerican ballgame, it is especially recognized for its art, mainly the colossal Olmec heads. The heads, carved out of various types of stone, were found all throughout the area near the Mexican Gulf Coast, the origin of the Olmec civilization. While researchers have speculated for some time what and/or who the heads represent, one obvious thing we can take from the heads is that they were of great importance to the Olmec people and a great deal of labor was put into carving the colossal heads. At the same time, we should also think about how the discovery and exhibition of these heads helps us learn about ancient civilizations and how their display in museums may affect how we perceive them.
To date, seventeen colossal Olmec heads have been discovered. However, according to researchers, there is a good possibility that there are still dozens of undiscovered heads around the Mexican Gulf Coast area that have yet to be dug up. In just San Lorenzo Tenochtitlán, an area in the southeast portion of the Mexican state Veracruz, ten of the colossal heads were found. Researchers and archaeologists were astounded by the stone heads, mainly because of their massive size. One video played in the exhibit included some facts related to the stone heads that were quite interesting. For example, researchers have been able to determine that the rocks used for the heads came from almost forty miles away from their origin. Additionally, the process of carving the colossal heads was an innovative one. The carvers and artists first made their way to the stone and began the sculpting on site. When it approached completion, researchers say, approximately one thousand people were needed to transport the colossal head to its final resting place.
Part of the discovery of art is attempting to decipher the meaning of a work. Doing this is easy for some works of art such as paintings and carvings on walls and pottery. However, determining the meaning and importance of the colossal Olmec heads has been a challenge for some researchers. Some believed the heads represented supernatural beings, perhaps gods. Others believed the heads represented the Mesoamerican ball players. Now, though, it has been agreed by many that the heads are representative of rulers and important people of the Olmec civilization. In a way, the theory of the heads representing gods is not completely incorrect, since rulers in Mesoamerican civilizations were also sometimes seen as gods. Furthermore, the colossal heads were described as having the “face of a god and the likeness of a king”. While they were sculpted to symbolize and commemorate rulers, the colossal Olmec heads were not originally carved out of a raw piece of rock. The backs of many of the heads are flat and polished. At the time, Olmec artists were known for “recycling” artwork and monuments. As a result, researchers came to the conclusion that many of the colossal heads were originally used as thrones. One thing I thought of while at the exhibit which I did not see written on any of the descriptions was that the thrones could have been connected to the rulers. I thought to myself that since many of the heads were carved from thrones, then the thrones must have belonged to the person for whom the head was being sculpted after their death. The medium of the colossal heads is also indicative of the importance of the people they portrayed. The colossal heads were sculpted from basalt, a volcanic rock. The idea of basalt being “born from fire” gives the impression that the person the sculpture portrays should be held in high regards because of their monument’s origin.
Seeing the colossal Olmec heads in person was a truly awe inspiring experience. Witnessing the actual size of the heads in person instead of through a computer screen was an amazing experience in and of itself. The details of the sculptures, like the almond shaped eyes, the flat noses, and the porosity of the basalt are only observable and able to be appreciated in person. While I was admiring the majesty of the colossal Olmec heads, I began to think to myself at what price I was enjoying this artwork. Besides the $25 ticket, it occurred to me that the heads I was looking at were sacred monuments taken away from a sacred site thousands of miles away from San Francisco. These colossal heads were unearthed from the scorching jungles of central Mexico and taken around the world, ending up in the jungle of Golden Gate Park in a climate controlled room sitting under ambient lights.
It began to seem to me at that point that these works of art had no business being in a museum. They do help us learn and give us insight to a civilization we know little about, but in the process, as Walter Benjamin says, we have pried an object from its shell and destroyed its aura. I am very appreciative of the opportunity to be able to witness these works of art first hand, but I also feel a feeling of guilt, knowing that I am enjoying these heads which were taken away from their sacred sites to be exhibited in museums around the world. “The uniqueness of a work of art is inseparable from its being imbedded in the fabric of tradition. This tradition itself is thoroughly alive and extremely changeable.” To me, this quote from Walter Benjamin means that over time, the purpose and meaning of an artwork is subject to change. To the Olmec civilization, the colossal heads were probably used as monuments to praise rulers who had died. To us, the heads represent an ancient civilization’s culture and we see it as an opportunity to learn about the oldest civilization of the Americas. While we do benefit from the discovery of the colossal heads, we also take away from their natural aura by taking them out of the jungles of Mexico and putting them in museums. According to Benjamin, this is the way things are supposed to be. “One of the foremost tasks of art has always been the creation of a demand which could be fully satisfied only later.” Maybe we were meant to discover these colossal heads. Maybe the Olmecs sculpted these heads not only to honor their rulers but left them to be discovered by future civilizations to show how they lived. With the colossal heads and other ancient artworks and artifacts, I believe that we benefit from their discoveries and can learn about the civilizations that they came from, even if it does take away from the aura of the artwork.
