La Venta Monument 1 is speculated to have been the portrait of La Venta 's final ruler . Monument 1 measures 2 @.@ 41 metres ( 7 @.@ 9 ft ) high by 2 @.@ 08 metres ( 6 @.@ 8 ft ) wide by 1 @.@ 95 metres ( 6 @.@ 4 ft ) deep ; it weighs 24 tons . The front of the headdress is decorated with three motifs that apparently represent the claws or fangs of an animal . Above these symbols is an angular U @-@ shaped decoration descending from the scalp . On each side of the monument a strap descends from the headdress , passing in front of the ear . Each ear has a prominent ear ornament that descends from the earlobe to the base of the monument . The features are those of a mature man , with wrinkles around the mouth , eyes and nose . Monument 1 is the best preserved head at La Venta but has suffered from erosion , particularly at the back . The head was first described by Franz Blom and Oliver La Farge who investigated the La Venta remains on behalf of Tulane University in 1925 . When discovered it was half @-@ buried ; its massive size meant that the discoverers were unable to excavate it completely . Matthew Stirling fully excavated the monument in 1940 , after clearing the thick vegetation that had covered it in the intervening years . Monument 1 has been moved to the Parque @-@ Museo La Venta in Villahermosa . The head was found in its original context ; associated finds have been radiocarbon dated to between 1000 and 600 BC .