Photos

Altar 4 also was moved from the site to the Parque La Venta in Villahermosa. There is a greater clarity in this sculpture. At the top, along the cornice it is easy to visualize the eyes, fangs, and spots of the jaguar in the crossed bands. All of this is a symbol of power. (Recall that La Venta was basically a ceremonial site.) There is a figure seated comfortably in the mouth of the creature, wearing a headdress resembling the head of an eagle. Legs are crossed, the body is leaning forward slightly, the left hand is on the right foreleg, while the right hand grasps a rope running around the bottom of the sculpture. This is known as the "Triumphal Altar", for what reasons I do not know.