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Las Limas Figurine

The Las Limas Figurine is an Olmec sculpture made of green stone, discovered in 1965 near Las Limas in the Mexican state of Veracruz. It was found by two children, Rosa and Severiano Paschal Manuel, and later taken to the museum in Xalapa after local people had long venerated it as an image of the Virgin Mary. The figure is 55 cm high, 42 cm wide, and weighs about 60 kg. It is probably from the Middle Preclassic period, between 1000 and 600 BCE. The sculpture shows a seated young man holding a child with jaguar features, with four carved deities on his limbs. According to Peter David Joralemon, the figure as a whole represents a storm and rain god.

Las Limas Figurine showing a seated grey-green stone figure holding a smaller figure across its lap.
The Las Limas Figurine is a carved stone sculpture depicting a seated figure cradling a smaller figure.
February 2017 © · CC BY-SA 4.0
Las Limas Figurine showing a seated stone figure holding a smaller jaguar-like figure across its lap.
Las Limas Figurine, a carved stone sculpture of a seated figure holding a smaller figure across its lap.
June 2025 © · CC BY-SA 4.0
Las Limas Figurine showing a seated stone figure holding a smaller figure across its lap.
The Las Limas Figurine features a seated carved figure holding a smaller figure across its lap.
June 2025 © · CC BY-SA 4.0
Las Limas figurine showing a cross-legged stone figure holding a smaller figure across its lap.
The Las Limas figurine shown on a green display base against a dark background.
March 2007 © O Cadena (Cadeva) · CC BY-SA 2.0
Las Limas Figurine showing a carved stone human figure with glyphs across the face, chest, and arm, holding a smaller figure.
Las Limas Figurine with deeply carved facial and body details, shown cradling a smaller figure.
June 2025 © · CC BY-SA 4.0
Side profile of the Las Limas Figurine showing a green-grey stone head with an open mouth, visible tongue, and hollow eye socket.
Close-up of the Las Limas Figurine, showing the head in profile with an open mouth and hollow eye socket.
June 2025 © · CC BY-SA 4.0
Las Limas Figurine showing a stone figure cradling a smaller carved figure with a stylized face and closed eyes.
Close-up of the Las Limas Figurine, showing the larger figure holding a smaller carved figure.
June 2025 © · CC BY-SA 4.0
Lower half of the Las Limas Figurine showing a seated figure holding a smaller carved figure across its lap.
The Las Limas Figurine, showing the seated lower section with a smaller carved figure across its lap.
June 2025 © · CC BY-SA 4.0
Lower body of the Las Limas Figurine seated on a marble base, with bent legs, visible feet, and scratch marks on the stone surface.
Close-up of the lower body of the Las Limas Figurine, showing the seated figure’s bent legs and carved stone surface.
June 2025 © · CC BY-SA 4.0
Close-up of the Las Limas Figurine showing a squat carved figure with a broad face and detailed chest designs, held by part of a larger figure.
Close-up of the Las Limas Figurine, highlighting the smaller carved figure and part of the larger form holding it.
June 2025 © · CC BY-SA 4.0

Identification

TitleSeñor de Las Limas
Alternative namesFigurka z Las Limas; "figura de Las Limas"; "Señor de Las Limas"; Monument 1 of Las Limas; Las Limas Monument 1; Las Limas figure; "La Virgen de las Limas"; "La Virgen de Las Limas"; the "sacerdote" of Las Limas
TypeOlmec figurine; Olmec sculpture; greenstone figure; round-relief sculpture; round sculpture (in the round); statue; statue / sculpture; monolith

Historical context

Cultural attribution / periodOlmec; Olmec civilization; Olmec archaeological record; Olmec heartland; Mesoamerican Preclassic period; Middle Preclassic (Formative) period, between 1000 and 600 BCE; Middle Formative period, between 1000 and 600 BCE; Middle Formative Period, sometime between 1000 and 600 BCE; probably made/carved during this period

Creator

CreatorUnknown

Discovery and provenance

Discovery date16 July 1965; 1965
Discovery locationNear Las Limas, Veracruz, Mexico; Veracruz, Mexico, in the Olmec core area; the State of Veracruz, Mexico; near Jesús Carranza, Veracruz; Las Limas, in the southeastern part of the Mexican state of Veracruz, at the southernmost end of the Olmec nuclear area
Discovered byTwo local children, Rosa and Severiano Paschal Manuel; two Chinantec children from Las Limas, Severiano and Rosa Manuel Pascual; found accidentally by two children, Rosa and Severiano Paschal Manuel
Discovery circumstancesFound accidentally while looking for a stone to crack coyoles; dug up by the children / their parents; the face was first exposed when removing what seemed to be an ordinary stone
Initial local interpretationRegarded by local people as a figure of the Virgin Mary / Virgin Mary and the Child / an apparition of the Virgin Mary because the discovery occurred on 16 July, the day of the Virgin of Carmen; placed on a home altar, a personal altar, or a church altar and venerated locally; villagers considered it more important than the Virgin of Guadalupe
Transfer to museumArchaeologists from Xalapa learned of the find through rumors or after lengthy negotiations with locals; they promised display and a local school; the sculpture was moved to the Museum of Anthropology of Xalapa / Museo de Antropología de Xalapa / Museo de Antropología de Veracruz in Xalapa; later restored for display there
Theft and recoveryStolen from the Museum of Anthropology of Xalapa in October 1970 / 12 October 1970; taken through Tehuacán and Huautla de Jiménez toward the United States; intended for sale in the United States; recovered or abandoned in a motel room in San Antonio, Texas, in 1975 after an anonymous phone call / because it was too famous to sell on the black market; the United States government later returned it
Associated placesLas Limas; San Antonio, Texas; Museum of Xalapa / Museo de Antropología de Xalapa; Xalapa Museum of Anthropology; Museum of Anthropology of Xalapa; Museo de Antropología de Veracruz in Xalapa; nearby village; nearby home; church of a nearby village

Physical characteristics

Dimensions55 cm high and 42 cm wide; 55 x 42 cm; high and wide (exact measurements omitted in one fragment)
WeightAbout 60 kg; approximately 60 kg; 60 kg; an estimated weight is mentioned, but the exact figure is omitted in one fragment

Materials

MaterialGreen stone; serpentine; greenstone; pale green jadeite; carved stone; stone

Technique

Carving and surface treatmentCarved; in the round; round-relief; monolith; visible circular incisions on the sides and back; fine incisions; engraved patterns; abstract incision-like markings resembling tattoos; inscriptions

Appearance

Overall figureA seated young man / youth / person of indeterminate sex sitting cross-legged; a figure with ornate or headdressed headgear; a carved stone figure holding a baby-jaguar / child-jaguar / were-jaguar baby in its arms or across its lap; the baby is flaccid, inert, limp, or possibly dead or asleep
Head, body, and limbsHeadband, pectoral, and loincloth decorated with X-shaped motifs; facial markings around the mouth and in bands along the face; markings on the face, shoulders, knees, shins, arms, and legs; circular incisions on the sides and back; shoulder and shin decoration; surface decoration resembling tattoos
Additional detailsEye pupils made of polished pyrite discs; baby-jaguar with wider engraved patterns; face, shoulders, and knees covered with fine incisions

Iconography and meaning

Depicted supernatural figuresFour supernatural beings carved or engraved on the body, face, shoulders, shins, arms, and legs; probable representations of Olmec supernaturals; generally identified as the Eye-Band God / Banded-eye God, the Olmec Dragon, the Bird Monster, and the Fish or Shark Monster; also described as an unspecified figure with an almond-shaped eye and a band extending along the face
Iconographic motifsX-like eye symbol; flame-like mark above the eye; flame eyebrows; incised head; narrow band running through the nose and down the face; band crossing the face; almond-shaped eye; common Olmec motifs
Mythological subjectUnidentified deity; earth god with caiman and toad features; solar god with bird features; chthonic water deity with fish features; child-jaguar / baby-jaguar / were-jaguar baby, a mythological character common in Olmec art and mythology; figure with a headdress holding an inert infant-jaguar
InterpretationsPossibly a priest presenting a victim as an offering; may indicate child sacrifice; may relate to myths of spiritual journeys, human origins, or the origins of humankind; may have been used as a mnemonic aid for priests during ritual ceremonies; incisions may have allowed ritual transport and orientation according to the cardinal points
Overall interpretationThe sculpture as a whole represents the god of storms and rain, to whom small children were sacrificed; some researchers considered it the Rosetta Stone of Olmec religion; Michael D. Coe developed the 'Las Limas hypothesis'; Coe believed the four supernatural beings and the baby-jaguar human represent the Olmec pantheon; Peter Joralemon later added three other deities to his widely cited 1971 publication
Context and comparisonsAmong several Olmec sculptures of headdressed figures holding inert-looking infant-jaguars, from small figurines to large altars or thrones; part of a broader group including Monument 20 of San Lorenzo, Altar 2 of La Venta, and La Venta Altar 5; one of the best known and most essential works for understanding Olmec art; an important reference for understanding Olmec religion; the largest known greenstone sculpture; famous for engraved representations of Olmec supernatural beings; iconography led to the Las Limas hypothesis
Scholars mentionedPeter David Joralemon; Morante; Coe; Gómez Rueda; Michael D. Coe

Location and ownership

Current locationMuseo de Antropología de Xalapa; Museum of Anthropology of Xalapa; Museo de Antropología de Veracruz in Xalapa; on display at the Museum of Anthropology of Xalapa
Associated emblemAppears on the coat of arms of the municipality of Jesús Carranza, which includes Las Limas

Significance

Local significanceA source of local pride
Art historical significanceOne of the best known and most essential works for understanding Olmec art; important reference for understanding Olmec religion; considered a broader understanding of Olmec beliefs; provided a broader understanding of Olmec beliefs
Historical significanceUntil the discovery of the Señor de Las Limas there was a widespread idea of a primordial jaguar god from which other Olmec deities derived

Other

Modern historyDescribed as consisting of a series of unusual events