There is a type of Olmec sculpture that distances itself from the solemn and commemorative images, it represents fantastic figures and mythical events. This theme is fairly abundant and catches your attention because it appears in different sized pieces and even in public spaces. Figures that dance, fight or march; men with masks of beasts; felines that mix with men, etc. This figure of a nude man or child in a semi-squatting position with an attitude of strain seems to belong to this group of pieces.
We can identify the Olmec facial features, in particular the prominent lips, with extended corners that give the mouth a ferocious appearance. We can also see a strip on the head, running from the nape to the forehead, like a headdress or a hairstyle that some of the colossal heads and other Olmec sculptures boast.
Because of its proportions it seems to be the representation of a child, even perhaps a very small child. This is also a typical characteristic of Olmec iconography, apparently related to identifying lineage and the legitimization of descendants. We often find adult figures carrying children in their arms.
It's very difficult to establish the figure's meaning, perhaps one of these children in Olmec iconography could make reference to the inheritance of power based on lineage. These men have also been identified with a kind of “chaneque” or forest spirit. There are interesting similarities between this piece and a sculpture from La Venta, which also has a bulging face and a strip on the head.
However, the facial distortion of this figure particularly resembles sculptures from the coast of Chiapas and Guatemala, which is probably the early origins of Olmec style works.
In any case, it is very important to clarify that when we classify this piece as Olmec it does not necessarily mean that it is related to the Gulf Coast of Mexico. We understand Olmec works to be a stylistic and iconographic manifestation of the Mesoamerican elites over the period of a few centuries in several Mesoamerican regions.
There is a type of Olmec sculpture that distances itself from the solemn and commemorative images, it represents fantastic figures and mythical events. This theme is fairly abundant and catches your attention because it appears in different sized pieces and even in public spaces. Figures that dance, fight or march; men with masks of beasts; felines that mix with men, etc. This figure of a nude man or child in a semi-squatting position with an attitude of strain seems to belong to this group of pieces.
