Tres Zapotes Monument A ( also known as Tres Zapotes Colossal Head 1 ) was the first colossal head to be found , discovered by accident in the middle of the nineteenth century , 1 kilometre ( 0 @.@ 62 mi ) to the north of the modern village of Tres Zapotes . After its discovery it remained half @-@ buried until it was excavated by Matthew Stirling in 1939 . At some point it was moved to the plaza of the modern village , probably in the early 1960s . It has since been moved to the Museo Comunitario de Tres Zapotes . Monument A stands 1 @.@ 47 metres ( 4 @.@ 8 ft ) tall ; it measures 1 @.@ 5 metres ( 4 @.@ 9 ft ) wide by 1 @.@ 45 metres ( 4 @.@ 8 ft ) deep , and is estimated to weigh 7 @.@ 8 tons . The head is sculpted with a simple headdress with a wide band that is otherwise unadorned , and wears rectangular ear ornaments that project forwards onto the cheeks . The face is carved with deep creases between the cheeks and the nose and around the mouth ; the forehead is creased into a frown . The upper lip has suffered recent damage , with the left portion flaking away .