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Location: Monument 1 was discovered around 1860 by a peon of the Hueapam Plantation who thought he had discovered an inverted iron kettle while clearing land for milpa (Melgar 1869:292). For quite some time it remained in situ, in the plaza of group 1 in "front of" the south mound facing north. During winter of 1967 it was found "in an open field about one kilometer northwest of the village of Tres Zapotes. The head [lay] on its left side, the result of a recent attempt to move it with a bulldozer to another location." (Clewlow et alii 1967:28). Monument 1 was moved to the site museum at its dedication in 1975.
Associations: The full report on the excavation of Monument 1 in front of Structure 2 (Mound 1B) follows. "it had been placed upon a foundation consisting of a layer of unworked stones at the ancient plaza level" (Stirling 1943:17) Also, "During the excavation of the Cabeza Colosal, sherds began to appear at a depth of about half a meter; sandy Coarse Red ware and Polished Black ware predominating. All the material, however, showed signs of extreme attrition, and when it was realized that this soil had been considerably disturbed on a number of previous occasions, it was decided to ignore this material in the present study. Two heads and one torso of characteristic Tres Zapotes figurines were found in the course of the excavation. A broad trench run from the Cabeza Northward to Mound A proved completely sterile" (Weiant 1943:6). "Sandy Coarse Red ware" and "Polished Black ware" do not appear elsewhere in Weiant's report.
Condition: Well preserved except chipped nose left eye and superficial cracks on the crown (Stirling 1943:17). The monument has suffered additional chips from the nose, left eye and upper lip since 1943.
Photographs: Present report, Plate 9; Seler-Sachs 1922; Stirling 1943: Plate 4; Clewlow et alii 1967; de la Fuente 1973:1977.
Drawings: Present report, Figures 9, 10, 11, 12, 13.
References: Melgar 1869, 1871; Seler-Sachs 1922; Weyerstall 1932; Stirling 1939, 1943a; Kubler 1962; Smith 1963; Clewlow et alii 1967; Bernal 1968; Coe 1968; de la Fuente 1973, 1977.
Carved Areas: All surfaces are carved except the bottom.
Material: The material is a coarsely porphyritic olivine-augite basalt with large phenocrysts. The source of the stone is probably Cerro el Vigia, where large boulders of the same material are found (Williams and Heizer 1965; Heizer Smith and Williams 1965:102).
Stirling suggests that Monument 1 may have been carved from "an outcropping of basalt in the bed of the arroyo about a mile distant from Group 1. [where] A large rectangular block [Feature 1] has apparently been quarried out" (Stirling 1943:16).
Dimensions: Height 1.47 m, Circumference 5.49 m, Weight @ 7.8 tons (Clewlow et alii 1967:28).
Description: Monument 1 is a colossal head which consists of a single roughly cylindrical mass. All features except the modeled face, the flat back and the rounded cranium are defined by low relief carving on the surface of this cylindrical mass.
The face of Monument 1 is well modeled with many curved surfaces. The cheeks are well rounded and the lines at the nose and mouth are skillfully modeled. Only the nasion and brow pads are rendered as angular flat relief surfaces. The nasion is triangular and the brow pads are well defined. The eye orbits are somewhat less angular and the lenticular eyes project from the hollow orbits. The eyes have no iris and the upper lid covers the lower lid at both inner and outer corners. The nose is short and broad with a narrow bridge. The upper lip curves down at the corners of the mouth. The lower lip is straight and occupies the space within the curve of the upper lip. A ridge defines the lower edge of the lower lip, below which is a deep hollow.
The ears are rendered entirely in flat relief with incised internal features. The ear opening is represented by a short horizontal groove and the earlobe is elongated to take a profile earflare. The leading edges of the earflares are concave and are ornamented with an incised vertical line.
The headgear is a small plain skullcap with a tab at the front. A headband encircles the cranium below the skullcap except at the back. A chinstrap descends from the headband, passes under the earflare and ends at the bottom edge of the head. The back of the head is flattened with incised lines to indicate plumes. On the back is a groove, 79 cm, long and 2 cm, wide, which may be a post carving alteration.
Remarks: Melgar's publication of this head, as "La Cabesa Colosal de Tipo Etiopico", in 1871 marked the establishment of a continuing tradition of fantastic explanations for, what is now known as, Olmec sculpture. Melgar believed the flat and broadly hewn features of Monument 1 evidenced an African invasion of precolumbian Mesoamerica. This belief has been repeated several times since and continues to flourish among elements of Afro-American society (Jeffries 1953; Muhammad Speaks 1962; Van Sertima 1976), despite the overwhelming immunological evidence against significant precolumbian contact between eastern and western hemispheres.
"Cupping" is not found on Monument 1 or on any of the other Tres Zapotes region Colossal Olmec heads. Monument 25 bears cupping on its back and Monument 29 shows cupping where its head was amputated. Cupules, miniature cuppings, are found on the Saltillo and Lirios monuments.
