Danzantes

Stone slab, bas-relief carvings of Monte Alban, Mexico, dating to c 100 BC-100 AD, that flank the earliest flat-topped. They depict nude male figures, some with mutilated or elaborately emphasized sexual organs, in unnatural dancing or possible swimming poses. Certain elements of the iconography, such as thick lips and downturned mouths, indicate an Olmec origin. Associated hieroglyphs and calendar dates support this theory. The term means "dancer" in Spanish. These are usually life-sized and have been found at San Jose Mogote and Monte Alban in Oaxaca.

Stone slab, bas-relief carvings dating to c lOO bc - ad 100 (see also PreClassic) that flank the earliest flat-topped mound at Monte Alban, Mexico. They depict nude male figures, some with mutilated or elaborately emphasized sexual organs, in unnatural dancing or possible swimming poses. Sometimes interpreted as dead, possibly sacrificed captives, certain elements of the iconography, such as thick lips and downtumed mouths, indicate an Olmec origin. Associated hieroglyphs and calendar dates also tend to confirm this.