Field worker stumbles on ancient carving from 2,000-year-old civilization, photos show
While working in a field in Mexico, a person unearthed several small stones — and found four ancient stone artifacts. Photos show the finds, including a carving from a 2,000-year-old civilization.
The field worker stumbled on the ancient artifacts during cultivation work in Coscomatepec, the Coscomatepec City Council said in a March 20 Facebook post.
Officials identified one of the finds as an Olmec carving. The pale brown artifact had a human face with its mouth open and an almost shocked-looking expression. The carving was broken, with the second fragment being shaped like a pipe.
The city did not say how old the carving was but linked it to the Olmec civilization, a society that thrived in the region between 1200 B.C. and 400 B.C., according to Britannica.
The Olmecs are best known for the earthen pyramids and “monumental stone carvings” they left behind, according to Britannica. These carvings include over a dozen large stone heads thought to be ancient rulers and many smaller artifacts.
The field worker in Coscomatepec also found three other stone artifacts: two stone cores and an obsidian knife, the city said.
A photo shows the pair of smaller, almost bullet-shaped cores and the larger weapon.
All four artifacts were given to the community museum. City officials said the artifacts were a reminder of the area’s history and its first settlers.
Coscomatepec, also known as Coscomatepec de Bravo, is a small town in the state of Veracruz and about 200 miles southeast of Mexico City.
Google Translate and Facebook Translate were used to translate the Facebook post from the Coscomatepec City Council.
This story was originally published March 27, 2024 at 12:29 PM with the headline "Field worker stumbles on ancient carving from 2,000-year-old civilization, photos show."
