Discovery of Monolith Unsettles Olmec Theory

A carved monolith unearthed in Mexico may show that the Olmec civilization, one of the oldest in the Americas, was more widespread than thought or that another culture thrived alongside it 3,000 years ago.

Findings at the newly excavated Tamtoc archeological site in the north-central state of San Luis Potosi may prompt some scholars to rethink whether Mesoamerica’s earliest peoples were based in southern Mexico.

“It is a very relevant indicator of an Olmec penetration far to the north, or of the presence of a new group coexisting with the Olmecs,” said archeologist Guillermo Ahuja, leader of a government team excavating the site for the last five years.

Tamtoc is about 550 miles northeast of Mexico City.

The Olmecs are considered the mother culture of preHispanic Mexico. Ruins of Olmec centers believed to have flourished as early as 1200 BC have been found mostly in the Gulf Coast states of Veracruz and Tabasco to the southeast.

Workers restoring a canal at the Tamtoc site came across the stone monolith, which is 25 feet long, 13 feet high and 16 inches thick. It weighs more than 30 tons and appears to represent a lunar calendar. It contains three human figures and other symbols in relief.

It may date to as early as 900 BC, Ahuja said.

Experts will try to interpret the icons to learn more about the artists and their culture. “They are new symbols in Mesoamerica,” Ahuja said.

Scientists at Tamtoc found evidence of civilization including a hydraulic system, canals and other technology, making it the oldest and most advanced center of its time. The 330-acre complex has three plazas and more than 70 buildings, and may indicate that the Olmecs migrated northward and mingled with other peoples there, Ahuja said.