ancientart:

Olmec snake head sculpture, Classic Period (AD 100 – 800).

The ancient civilizations in various parts of the world created animals into sacred beings, one being the snake. These animals are able to survive on the land as well as in the water.

In the first prehispanic culture of Mexico, the Olmec created the snake as a being who was both heaven and earth as well as the rain, as is seen in the Monument 19 of La Venta, Tabasco, which is on display. Another stone snake made by the Olmec, found in Potrero Nuevo, Veracruz, is also on display.

In the Chamber, the Stones of Aparicio in the center can be seen as two characters who are without their heads and from their neck come seven snakes representing blood.

The serpent is associated with the god Quetzalcoatl whose name means “bird-snake”, and who was a very important god in the later periods.

Courtesy & currently located at the National Museum of Anthropology, Mexico. Photos taken by Travis.