Señor de las Limas -w13”x 19”h, Pencil on Paper,

Señor de las Limas is an important Olmec statue that represents the advanced artistry and religious beliefs of the Olmec civilization, which thrived in Mesoamerica from around 1200 BCE to 400 BCE. 

The statue was discovered 16 July 1965 near Jesús Carranza, Veracruz, by two local children, Rosa and Severiano Paschal Manuel. Dug out and taken to their nearby home, it was declared "La Virgen de las Limas" and set up on its own altar. Word of the find reached archaeologists in Xalapa. After promising to keep the statue on display and to build a local school, the archaeologists moved the sculpture to the Xalapa Museum of Anthropology, in Veracruz.

Five years later, in October 1970, the statue was stolen from the museum, only later to be found in a motel room in San Antonio, Texas; it had been apparently too famous to be sold on the black market. This violated cultural heritage laws and international norms about the protection of indigenous artifacts.It was subsequently restored to display at the Xalapa Museum of Anthropology.

Characteristics and Meaning:

  • Symbolism: The figure's large, somewhat exaggerated facial features are thought to represent power and authority, possibly linking the statue to a god or a ruler. a young man in a seated position holding on his lap a Jaguar Child, the latter a mythological character that appears constantly in Olmec mythology and art. The statue is famous for the probable representations of supernatural beings in incisions engraved on the face, shoulders and legs of the figure.

Señor de Las Limas, c. 1200–400 B.C.E. (Olmec, Las Limas, Jesús Carranza, Veracruz), serpentine and pyrite, 23 x 43.5 x 55 cm (Museo de Antropología de Xalapa; photo: Jill Mollenhauer

Head (detail), Señor de Las Limas, c. 1200–400 B.C.E. (Olmec, Las Limas, Jesús Carranza, Veracruz), serpentine and pyrite, 23 x 43.5 x 55 cm (Museo de Antropología de Xalapa; photo: Jill Mollenhauer)

Photo cred: Arqueología viva de México (Magazine)