San Lorenzo Colossal Head 2 ( also known as San Lorenzo Monument 2 ) was reworked from a monumental throne . The head stands 2 @.@ 69 metres ( 8 @.@ 8 ft ) high and measures 1 @.@ 83 metres ( 6 @.@ 0 ft ) wide by 1 @.@ 05 metres ( 3 @.@ 4 ft ) deep ; it weighs 20 tons . Colossal Head 2 was discovered in 1945 when Matthew Stirling 's guide cleared away some of the vegetation and mud that covered it . The monument was found lying on its back , facing the sky , and was excavated in 1946 by Stirling and Philip Drucker . In 1962 the monument was removed from the San Lorenzo plateau in order to put it on display as part of " The Olmec tradition " exhibition at the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston in 1963 . San Lorenzo Colossal Head 2 is currently in the Museo Nacional de Antropología in Mexico City . The head was associated with a number of ceramic finds ; they have been dated to the Early Preclassic and Late Classic periods . Colossal Head 2 wears a complex headdress that sports a horizontal band tied at the back of the head ; this is decorated with three bird 's heads that are located above the forehead and temples . The scalp piece is formed from six strips running towards the back of the head . The front of the headdress above the horizontal band is plain . Two short straps hang down from the headdress in front of the ears . The ear jewellery is formed by large squared hoops or framed discs . The left and right ornaments are different , with radial lines on the left earflare , a feature absent on the right earflare . The head is badly damaged due to an unfinished reworking process . This process has pitmarked the entire face with at least 60 smaller hollows and 2 larger holes . The surviving features appear to depict an ageing man with the forehead creased into a frown . The lips are thick and slightly parted to reveal the teeth ; the head has a pronounced chin .