Discovering the Olmecs: An Unconventional History (The William and Bettye Nowlin Series in Art, History, and Culture of the Western Hemisphere)

The Olmecs are renowned for their massive carved stone heads and other sculptures, the first stone monuments produced in Mesoamerica. Seven decades of archaeological research have given us many insights into the lifeways of the Olmecs, who inhabited parts of the modern Mexican states of Veracruz and Tabasco from around 1150 to 400 BC, and there are several good books that summarize the current interpretations of Olmec prehistory. But these formal studies don’t describe the field experiences of the archaeologists who made the discoveries. What was it like to endure the Olmec region’s heat, humidity, mosquitoes, and ticks to bring that ancient society to light? How did unforeseen events and luck alter carefully planned research programs and the conclusions drawn from them? And, importantly, how did local communities and individuals react to the research projects and discoveries in their territories? In this engaging book, a leading expert on the Olmecs tells those stories from his own experiences and those of his predecessors, colleagues, and students. Beginning with the first modern explorations in the 1920s, David Grove recounts how generations of archaeologists and local residents have uncovered the Olmec past and pieced together a portrait of this ancient civilization that left no written records. The stories are full of fortuitous discoveries and frustrating disappointments, helpful collaborations and deceitful shenanigans. What emerges is an unconventional history of Olmec archaeology, a lively introduction to archaeological fieldwork, and an exceptional overview of all that we currently know about the Olmecs. Preface 8 1. The Olmecs Come to Light 12 2. The Tulane Expedition and the Olmec World (1925–1926) 16 3. The First Excavations: Tres Zapotes (1938–1940) 28 4. Stone Heads in the Jungle (1940) 42 5. Fortuitous Decisions at La Venta (1942–1943) 48 6. Monuments on the Río Chiquito (1945–1946) 61 7. The Return to La Venta (1955) 67 8. Of Monuments and Museums (1963, 1968) 80 9. Adding Antiquity to the Olmecs (1966–1968) 91 10. Research Headaches at La Venta (1967–1969) 101 11. Reclaiming La Venta (1984 to the Present) 110 12. San Lorenzo Yields New Secrets (1990–2012, Part 1) 115 13. El Manatí: “Like Digging in Warm Jell-O” (1987–1993) 127 14. “They’re Blowing Up the Site!” Tres Zapotes after Stirling (1950–2003) 137 15. An Olmec Stone Quarry and a Sugarcane Crisis (1991) 149 16. Discoveries Large and Small at San Lorenzo (1990–2012, Part 2) 162 17. The Night the Lights Went Out (2001) 172 18. Some Thoughts on the Archaeology of the Olmecs 177 Bibliographic Essay 194 Index 206 The Olmecs are renowned for their massive carved stone heads and other sculptures, the first stone monuments produced in Mesoamerica. Seven decades of archaeological research have given us many insights into the lives of the Olmecs, who inhabited parts of the modern Mexican states of Veracruz and Tabasco from around 1150 to 400 BC. Beginning with the first modern explorations in the 1920s, the story of how generations of archaeologists and local residents have uncovered the Olmec past and pieced together a portrait of an ancient civilization that left no written records unfolds. From stories of fortuitous discoveries and frustrating disappoints, helpful collaborations and deceitful shenanigans emerges the unconventional history of Olmec archeology. This lively history of seven decades of archaeological exploration in the Olmec region of Mexico tells the fascinating backstory of how archaeological discoveries are made while offering an exceptional overview of this ancient civilization.