San Lorenzo Tenochtitlán

One of the most prominent of the three ancient cities that practiced Olmec culture, San Lorenzo Tenochtitlán is defined by its massive stone heads, the tallest of which stand at nearly 3 meters (9.8 feet). Olmec culture is first said to have taken root along the Gulf of Mexico, near modern-day Veracruz; the oldest of Mesoamerican civilizations that shaped several others that followed. San Lorenzo Tenochtitlan was deemed as the beacon of this ancient culture, a center that was at its peak between 1200 BCE to 900 BCE. After its ceremonial luster faded, the other Olmec centers of Veracruz and Tabasco rose in prominence. Despite its historical oblivion for several years, it was excavated in the later half of the 20th Century, and as many as eight occupation phases were outlined. Today, this ancient site is also the repository of several basalt sculptures, thrones, and unidentified tools used at the time. Its most striking feature however, remains the larger-than-life, unseeing stone heads that unfold stories of a great history and culture that time forgot.