Before Columbus set foot in America, this land was originally inhabited by the Indigenous peoples. What is puzzling is that ancient artworks discovered in Mexico and several places in South America feature stone or ceramic heads of various ethnic groups.
In Mexico, archaeologists have discovered a jade head sculpture dating back to the Olmec culture. Although the nose of this head sculpture is damaged, its features such as a flat face, shallow eye sockets, eyebrows, forehead, and cheekbones indicate that it represents an Eastern person. Another stone figure discovered in Guatemala also exhibits distinctly Eastern characteristics.
Another stone head discovered in Valalucks, Mexico, upon first glance, resembles a black African with thick lips and a round forehead, and cannot be mistaken for the appearance of Indigenous Americans.
Generally speaking, art reflects life. It is unlikely that ancient Indigenous peoples could sculpt a figure of someone they were entirely unfamiliar with. So how is it that there are statues of people who have never set foot in America?
For a long time, there have been discussions about ancient Chinese peoples having arrived in America, and some have even believed in rumors about prehistoric Phoenicians reaching this land. However, these remain unconvincing hypotheses. Could it be that the black figure was a slave rower in the fleet of ancient Phoenicians? And if that were the case, who carved these statues?
Next to the famous “Sun Gate” in Tijuana, there are as many as 48 human statues. It is believed that these represent an honor guard for deities, similar to stone statues commonly found in front of temples. However, what captures the attention of archaeologists and anthropologists is that the appearances of these 48 stone statues vary: some have high noses, others have thick lips, some have large ears, while others have low bridges of the nose… Through meticulous surveys, they discovered that these stone figures represent various ethnic groups and peoples around the world.
It can also be said that these stone statues were crafted based on the distinctive physical characteristics of the ethnic groups and peoples that the creators were aware of. However, how did the sculptors gain knowledge of these diverse groups and peoples?
