Las Bocas facts for kids
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Las Bocas is a small archaeological site in the Mexican state of Puebla. Its name is often used for a type of Olmec-style statues and pottery. However, this name is often used by mistake.
The Las Bocas site is located near the Balsas River. In the 1960s, many people illegally dug up the site. They were looking for "Olmec" pottery and figurines. As these items became famous, many similar artifacts were called "Las Bocas" items. Some of these were even fake. It is very unlikely that so many items came from this one site. Because of this, the name "Las Bocas" does not mean much to archaeologists today.
The first official study of Las Bocas began in 1967. This work was led by David Grove. Later, in 1997, archaeologist Maria de la Cruz Paillés Hernández started her own studies. She worked at the site for three seasons.
Contents
Exploring the Site: 1997–2000
What Archaeologists Did
Maria de la Cruz Paillés Hernández led three seasons of archaeological work. Her second season aimed to get a general idea of the Las Bocas site. She wanted to find the best areas to dig later.
Paillés Hernández believed that a nearby area called Caballo Pintado was part of the Las Bocas site. This was because important discoveries were made there too.
The third season continued the work from the second season. It used earlier findings to better understand the site. Several pits were dug during this time. However, some of the soil layers were not reliable. This was because artifacts near the surface had mixed dates. Also, heavy machines had removed the top layer of land in 1994. This almost completely destroyed artifacts from later time periods. The archaeologists also found a pit made by looters.
What Was Found
During the third season, several ceramic pieces were found. These pieces were very old. They dated from about 1250 BC to 800 BC. Many fragments of small statues were found. One head of a "baby-face" figurine was discovered. It had a head shape similar to an Olmec skull found at another site.
Carved stone objects were also found. These were made from obsidian and a type of rock called chert.
Archaeologists also uncovered the burial of an adult. This was the second burial found at the site. It was found with a small bowl, a tiny dog figurine, and pieces of a small box.
Las Bocas-style Figurines
What Are They?
The term "Las Bocas-style" describes a type of Olmec figurine. People claimed these figurines were found at the Las Bocas site. However, this style is based on items that were illegally dug up. It is not certain if they actually came from Las Bocas.
Where Did They Really Come From?
The idea that "Las Bocas-style" figurines came from Las Bocas is often false. These figurines were never truly linked to the actual site. People who sold them claimed they were found there. This happened when a lot of illegal digging was going on at Las Bocas.
By saying the figurines came from Las Bocas, sellers could get higher prices. They also created more interest in the items. So, these sellers might have lied about where the artifacts came from. They might have found them at other sites. Because there is no real proof linking these figurines to Las Bocas, we cannot say for sure they came from there.
See also
In Spanish: Las Bocas para niños
