USA HISTORY

Detailed explanation-1: -Given that the extremely large slabs of stone used in their production were transported over large distances, requiring a great deal of human effort and resources, it is thought that the monuments represent portraits of powerful individual Olmec rulers.

Detailed explanation-2: -The Olmec are probably best known for the statues they carved: 20 ton stone heads, quarried and carved to commemorate their rulers.

Detailed explanation-3: -The most agreed upon theory is that, because of their unique physical features and the difficulty and cost involved in their creation, they represent Olmec rulers. Seventeen heads have been discovered to date, 10 of which are from San Lorenzo and 4 from La Venta; two of the most important Olmec centres.

Detailed explanation-4: -The Olmec Heads However, this was only due to a 75-year-old tip-off (of sorts) from oil prospector José Melgar, who had first spotted this enormous stone head in Tabasco way back in 1862. While most were carved from round boulders, two of the 17 heads are thought to have been carved from ceremonial stone thrones.