United States returns ‘Earth Monster’ Olmec sculpture to Mexico
Mexico announced Friday that a huge 2,500-year-old Olmec stone sculpture has been returned from the United States.
The almost six-foot-tall (two-meter) “Monster of the Earth” sculpture appears to represent the gaping maw of a monster that is big enough to swallow people, and may represent a symbolic entrance to the underworld.
Experts say the sculpture is important because of the insights it provides on the cosmological vision of the Olmecs, considered a founding culture of Meso-America.
Foreign Relations Secretary Marcelo Ebrard said the sculpture was handed over at the Mexican consulate in Denver, Colorado, on Friday.
Experts believe the sculpture was taken clandestinely in the 1960s from Chalcatzingo, a lesser-known ruin site south of Mexico City.
“It was like an open wound, not having this artifact,” Ebrard said.
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Citation:
United States returns ‘Earth Monster’ Olmec sculpture to Mexico (2023, May 20)
retrieved 20 May 2023
from https://phys.org/news/2023-05-states-earth-monster-olmec-sculpture.html
This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no
part may be reproduced without the written permission. The content is provided for information purposes only.
Mexico announced Friday that a huge 2,500-year-old Olmec stone sculpture has been returned from the United States.
The almost six-foot-tall (two-meter) “Monster of the Earth” sculpture appears to represent the gaping maw of a monster that is big enough to swallow people, and may represent a symbolic entrance to the underworld.
Experts say the sculpture is important because of the insights it provides on the cosmological vision of the Olmecs, considered a founding culture of Meso-America.
Foreign Relations Secretary Marcelo Ebrard said the sculpture was handed over at the Mexican consulate in Denver, Colorado, on Friday.
Experts believe the sculpture was taken clandestinely in the 1960s from Chalcatzingo, a lesser-known ruin site south of Mexico City.
“It was like an open wound, not having this artifact,” Ebrard said.
© 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Citation:
United States returns ‘Earth Monster’ Olmec sculpture to Mexico (2023, May 20)
retrieved 20 May 2023
from https://phys.org/news/2023-05-states-earth-monster-olmec-sculpture.html
This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no
part may be reproduced without the written permission. The content is provided for information purposes only.
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