The Olmec’s Colossal Heads by Alexis Gerard


These images were shot at the “Olmec: Colossal Masterworks of Ancient Mexico” exhibition at the de Young museum, in San Francisco.

America’s oldest civilization, the Olmec flourished from as early as 1500 BCE to about 400 BCE in the tropical lowlands of south-central Mexico, in the modern-day states of Veracruz and Tabasco.

They were the first major Pre-Columbian civilization in Mexico and laid many of the foundations for the civilizations that followed. 

Among other “firsts”, there is evidence that the Olmec practiced ritual bloodletting and played the Mesoamerican ballgame, hallmarks of nearly all subsequent Mesoamerican societies.

The most familiar aspect of the Olmecs is their artwork, particularly the aptly-named colossal heads.

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8 thoughts on “The Olmec’s Colossal Heads by Alexis Gerard”

  1. love the illumination on this, and I must lean towards #2 as my fav for the x-cellent scale it shows and makes the head so grandiose – great share, thank you Alexis

  2. @Jim Ford
    Thank you Jim! I use 4 cameras that can all do square format, depending on circumstances. These were shot with my Panasonic LX3.

  3. Love these shots…especially the last one of the head and the photographers camera image…I take those kind of shots whenever I get a chance.

  4. Very nice archeological studies with a creative approach to space that we all have come to know and appreciate. The square format really work well. Are you still using the Ricoh Alexis?

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