Olmec Colossal Head from Central America

 

This is a lifesize replica of an Olmec head found in a botanical garden on the island of San Miguel de Cozumel. This particular sculpture was reproduced from an Olmec head or colossal head labeled as number 1 in the Xalapa's museum of Anthropology. It is also known as "el rey" (the king) It was found in San Lorenzo, Tenochtitlán (name of the archeological site, usually shortened to San Lorenzo), located at Texistepec, State of Veracruz, México. It dates from 1200 to 900 years B.C. and is 2.9 meters high and 2.1 meters wide. See “File:Cabeza Colosal No1 Del Museo Xalapa.Jpg.” In Wikipedia, May 9, 2012. https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Cabeza_Colosal_n%C2%BA1_del_Museo_Xalapa.jpg&oldid=491549457 

Here is a brief explanation of the origin of these remarkable carvings from “Cabeza colosal.” In Wikipedia, la enciclopedia libre, October 19, 2023. https://es.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Cabeza_colosal&oldid=154729115.

The Olmec colossal heads are stone representations of human heads sculpted from large basalt boulders. They range in height from 1.17 to 3.4 meters (3.8 to 11.2 ft) and weigh an average of 8 tons.

The heads date from at least 900 BC and are a distinctive feature of the Olmec civilization, the first civilization to develop in Meso-America.

The Olmec civilization flourished in the lowlands of southeastern Mexico, especially in the states of Veracruz and Tabasco, between 1500 and 400 BC. The heads are believed to portray powerful individual Olmec rulers, as they display unique facial features and expressions that may be considered portraits. The heads also wear protective helmets that were worn by the Olmec in battle and during the Meso-American ballgame. Some helmets have jaguar paws or talons as symbols of political and religious power.

The boulders used for the heads were brought from the Sierra de Los Tuxtlas mountains of Veracruz, over 150 kilometres (93 mi) away from some of the Olmec sites. The method and logistics used to transport the stone remain unclear, but it is likely that they used river rafts and log rollers. The heads were sculpted using hard hand-held stones and drilled with reeds and wet sand to create depth and detail. They were probably originally painted with bright colors. 

Seventeen confirmed examples of the heads have been discovered to date, from four sites within the Olmec heartland: San Lorenzo, La Venta, Tres Zapotes, and Rancho La Cobata.

The heads were variously arranged in lines or groups at major Olmec centers, but some were moved or buried by later cultures or natural events. Dating the monuments remains difficult because of the lack of archaeological context for many of them. Most have been dated to the Early Pre-classic period (1500–1000 BC) with some to the Middle Pre-classic (1000–400 BC) period.

San Diego, California

 

Because most of my life so far, was spent living in the Phoenix, Scottsdale, and Mesa, Arizona, I spent a lot of time visiting the favorite vacation spot for those from the Salt River Valley: San Diego California. Here is a recent photo of the downtown area. See if you can guess where I was when I took this photo. 

A Utah Valley Thunderstorm

 

This is a real photograph. We went for a short drive up to a valley overlook and enjoyed the spectacular view of a thunderstorm over Utah Lake and the West Mountains. 

Thunderstorm over Utah Valley

 You may wish to click on this photo to see more detail. 

There is a road that starts in Provo Canyon and goes up the side canyon to Rock Canyon Campground. Part way up the canyon, there is an overlook with a parking lot. Evening is a good time to see the valley. 

Utah Valley Sunset with Brigham Young University

 You might want to click on the image to see an enlarged copy. 

This photo was taken from Y-mount parking lot overlooking Provo, Utah, with Brigham Young University in the center of the photo. It is late in the summer and the grass on the hills has turned to gold and the sun has turned the clouds to gold. 

An Instant Sunset in Provo, Utah

This extraordinary and unusual sunset for Provo, Utah only lasted about 5 minutes or so. Right after this photo was taken it went off like someone turned off the light. The clouds happened to be in a perfect position for the light. 

Wasatch Mountains from Guardsman Pass

There is a paved, very beautiful road over Guardsman Pass from Brighton to either Park City or Midway. On a nice summer day, the road is well-used but not particularly congested. It is only about 3.4 miles from Brighton to the pass and only 28 miles using the Guardsman Pass road to Park City. If you take the right fork of the road, you can get to Midway in about 14 miles. Keep in mind, that some parts of the road are steep, with sharp curves and dangerous in inclement weather.