The most striking art left behind by this culture are the Olmec colossal heads. Seventeen monumental stone representations of human heads sculpted from large basalt boulders have been unearthed in the region. The heads date from at least before 900 BCE and are a distinctive feature of the Olmec civilization. All portray mature men with fleshy cheeks, flat noses, and slightly crossed eyes. However, none of the heads are alike, and each boasts a unique headdress, which suggests they represent specific individuals.

The extremely large slabs of stone used in their production were transported over large distances, requiring a great deal of human effort and resources.

It is thought that the monuments represent portraits of powerful individual Olmec rulers. The heads were variously arranged in lines or groups at major Olmec centres, but the methods used to transport the stone to these sites remain uncertain.

The first discovery of a colossal head was at Tres Zapotes in the nineteenth century. 

Olmec Head
This sculpture is typical of the Colossal Heads of the Olmec