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These are a few pictures from the Olmec exhibit at the de Young Museum in San Francisco.  I took quite a few before finding out that while they allow non-flash photos in the museum, they don't allow that for this exhibit.  So these are just a few.  The exhibit continues until May 8, and others may be interested in learning about the exhibit, especially if you live in the San Francisco area.

    I was surprised to see so many sculptures that don't resemble the Colossal Heads of Olmec, a civilization that lived around the Gulf of Mexico in about 1600-400 BC.
   In fact, many of the other sculptures looked Chinese though I hadn't heard this before.  The famous Colossal heads have Polynesian features and look completely unlike what we see in Mayan art, although the Mayans were active in Mexico around 2000 BC to 900 AD.

    Today, I read the following about the large Olmec heads, in a small but fat handbook on ancient civilizations:   "Their most spectacular archeological legacy is in huge heads over three metres high and with *markedly Chinese facial characteristics*, which were carved from basalt and probably represent Olmec rulers."
    From the exhibit description on the de Young museum webpage:

 "Considered the “mother culture” of Mesoamerica and recognized as America’s oldest civilization, the people known today as the Olmec ... are best known for the creation of colossal heads carved from giant boulders that have fascinated the public and archaeologists alike since they were discovered in the mid-19th century.  The monumental heads remain among ancient America’s most awe-inspiring and beautiful masterpieces today."

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