Nearly one hundred stone-carved sculptures have been found at La Venta. Some were discovered in the exact places where the Olmecs originally displayed them, revealing patterns in their arrangement and suggesting a structured system of visual communication.

One group of sculptures, located at the base of La Venta’s main platform and partially displayed here, repeats a fantastical image whose exact meaning remains unknown. These sculptures were associated with a stela that appears to depict a shift in power, possibly accompanied by a monumental scepter. The importance of this ensemble is suggested by its placement near the city’s main pyramid platform and by the repeated use of its central image.

Similar groupings of sculptural themes and their connection to specific architectural spaces can also be seen in the colossal heads and certain altars.

The low-relief sculptures in this gallery differ from classic Olmec art, which emphasized volume. Scholars of pre-Hispanic art believe that low-relief carving was a later technique in the Olmec tradition, likely influenced by the Maya of the time.