THE OLMEC CIVILIZATION IS THE MOST ANCIENT MEXICAN CIVILIZATION, OFTEN CONSIDERED AS THE "MOTHER CIVILIZATION" OF THE NEW WORLD. THE OLMECS WERE CARVERS OF STONE, FROM GIGANTIC COLOSSAL HEADS, STELAE, ALTARS, JADE CELTS, FIGURINES, TO PENDANTS. MANY OF OLMEC SCULPTURES, SUCH AS THIS SEATED FIGURE, CARRIED SPECIAL MEANINGS. BELIEVING IN THE LEGEND OF WERE-JAGUAR BABY, THEY CARVED NUMEROUS FIGURES WHICH DEPICT JAGUAR/INFANT FEATURES. THIS IMAGE OF A SEATED FIGURE IS CARVED OF A DEEP GREEN STONE AND IT IS POLISHED TO ACHIEVE A SMOOTH SURFACE TEXTURE. HE IS SEATED WITH HIS LEGS CROSSED, WITH ONE LEG ON TOP OF THE OTHER AND BOTH HANDS HOLDING THE LEG. SUCH POSE IS VERY CHARACTERISTIC OF OLMEC ART. MOREOVER, THE SIDES OF THE FIGURE IS CARVED WITH SHORT BUT BOLD INCISION MARKS WHICH POSSIBLY INDICATE THE RIB-CAGE. THE FACE IS CARVED TO PORTRAY THE LEGEND OF JAGUAR BABY--THE FEATURES SUCH AS THE EYES AND THE CHEEKS ARE INFANTILE AND FLESHY, AND THE OPEN MOUTH SHOWS SLIGHTLY CURLED UPPER LIP SUGGESTIVE OF THE FELINE FEATURE OF JAGUAR. SUCH MAGNIFICENT SCULPTURE WAS PERHAPS A RITUAL OFFERING IN ANCIENT MESOAMERICA. ALTHOUGH WE ARE NOT CERTAIN OF THE EXACT FUNCTION OF THE SCULPTURE, WE KNOW THAT IT WAS CREATED, KEPT, AND TREATED AS A PRECIOUS ITEM. THE JAGUAR WAS ONE OF THE MOST REVERED ANIMALS AND WAS WORSHIPPED AS A GOD IN ANCIENT MESOAMERICA. AS JAGUARS ROAMED AND RULED THE WILD JUNGLE, MESOAMERICANS RECOGNIZED THE PROWESS OF JAGUARS, ATTRIBUTING MAGICAL AND DIVINE POWER TO THEM. AS WE LOOK INTO THE STONE SCULPTURE, WE CAN ALMOST FEEL THE GENTLE HANDS OF THE ARTIST WHO SO LOVINGLY CARVED THE BEAUTIFUL, INTRICATE FIGURE.