Moving east towards the Gulf of Mexico, we stopped in Xalapa (or Jalapa) [18] the hillside capital of Veracruz State. On a clear day, Mexico´s tallest peak, snow capped Pico de Orizaba (5611 metres) can be seen from the central park.
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We spent 4 hours in the excellent anthropology museum, moving through time in Vera Cruz from the original civilization, the Olmecs (1500 BC to 400 BC), through the Totonacs to the Aztecs in the years preceding Spanish conquest. The Olmecs, called the “Mother Culture”, are attributed with the erection of stelae, the jaguar cult and initiating the ball game. We were enthralled with the massive basalt Olmec heads, Totonac life sized raw clay figures, tiny toys with wheels and the 29000 other pieces.
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Pico de Orizaba (5611 metres) south of Xalapa
Pots of food bubbling away in La Fonda restaurant kitchen
Large Olmec head in the Anthropology Museum
Massive stone Olmec head
Greenstone Señor de las Limas with infant in his arms
Elongated heads and Asian features |
God of Fire warms his hands over a brazier
Part of a mural from the Las Higueras site
Two figures on a swing
Figure with articulated arms, made in a mould
These toys show pre-Hispanic people knew of the wheel |
Decapitated ball player spurts snakes
Twins
Life size clay statue of a woman who died in childbirth
Jaguar
Cross legged clay figure
Cross eyed male figure with trunk
Statue of a female figure from northern Vera Cruz State
Summer school - kids fitting together shards of ancient pottery
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