Xalapa - Day 3

Olmec Head

We spent most of the day at the Museo de Antropologia, described in the guide as one of Mexico's best museums.  Its collection consists of thousands of pieces from the southern coastal area of Mexico dating from the 1200 BC to the 16th century when the Spanish arrived.  One of the main attractions of the Museum is its collection of 7 giant sculptures of heads from the Olmec people, whom are understood to the the progenitors of the stone age culture that was to follow.  The head in the accompanying photograph was discovered in 1969 and is dated 1200-900 BC.  The building and gardens of the museum were outstanding.

Burial urn for holding bones

Not bad for BC era work

In the afternoon we took a cab to the botanic gardens, several miles out of town.  It was a large area fringed with thick vegetation ranging from ferns to tall trees, with a river bordering on two of its sides.  Brenda worked hard to spot and identify the elusive birds and her perseverance paid off. She walked away with descriptions of "new" birds that she must identify.

Pre Spanish Stone Stamps

One of the displays in an under cover garden setting