An Unexplored Realm in the Heartland of the Southern Gulf ... - Famsi

Of all of the monolithic “Olmec-style” sculptural forms, thrones are among the
largest and most symbolically laden pieces known, and they are unique to the Southern
Gulf Lowlands. Originally, Stirling (1943) had described these monuments as altars but
insightful work by Grove (1973) demonstrated the pieces were more likely thrones of
leaders; a seat of power. Grove (1999:267) further categorized these sculptures as
tabletop thrones and sub-divided them into Type A, which depicts a solitary individual,
and Type B, where the primary figure is holding a “baby.” The La Venta thrones (altars),
include three Type A (La Venta Altars 3, 4, and 6) are two Type B (La Venta Altars 2
and 5). At San Lorenzo there is one Type A throne (Monument 14) and one Type B
(Monument 20), but other modified carved stones indicate a number of other table top
altars were subsequently reworked, divided, and recarved (Grove 1999:277). The
monument from El Marquesillo is a Type A tabletop throne in Grove’s classification
system, and shows no evidence of recarving or reworking for the purposes of reuse.
The variety in size, shape, and iconographic content of Olmec thrones provides
comparative factors for deducing the ranking of the throne and, in turn, the site in San
Lorenzo’s realm in which it was recovered. Four thrones have been recovered at San
Lorenzo, including Monument 14 that measures 1.83 m high x 3.48 m long x 1.52 m deep
(Figure 3.18). Monument 20 is another throne measuring 1.67 m high x 2.25 m long x 1.5
m deep. It is possible that this piece in its original form would have rivaled Monument 14
in size, but later modifications have substantially reduced its proportions. Monument 60
(see: Brüggeman and Hers 1970) and Monument 18 are fragments of thrones whose
original dimensions cannot be accurately assessed.
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