As we mentioned in a previous blog, our itinerary included a visit to this park, but they had slightly changed the day’s activities. They had decided to take us to the Anthropology Museum in Xalapa and said we may not have time later to squeeze in the park.
As you can see from the title of this blog, we made it to La Venta Park. And we are glad we did. This museum is entirely outdoors, unlike the anthropology museum, which is predominantly indoors. It was impressive to see them exposed and displayed in nature.
The park has one of the largest collections of monumental pieces belonging to the Olmecs. The site was designed by poet Carlos Pellicer Cámara and comprised two areas comprising over 6.5 hectares (~16 acres). It opened its doors on March 4, 1958.
One area was dedicated to animals of the region, and the other was for the archeological pieces. As you can see from the park map, the site is extensive, and we did not have enough time to see the entire place.
Free Roaming Animals in La Venta Park
We saw these adorable animals scampering around the park, and we had no idea what they were. They are called coatimundis, and Chuck fell instantly in love with them, adding them to his top 5.
We avoided most of the animal section and only got close to the jaguar, which we avoided. Typically, we are not fond of most zoos and avoid caged animals. We did get to see a boa on the ground from a distance; however, Chuck’s huge fear of snakes prevented us from getting a pic.
These noisy buggers were seen throughout the park along with the coatis.
Archaeological Pieces at La Venta Park
The rest of this blog will highlight the carvings and other archeological items throughout the park.
This sculpture is rare because the Olmecs did not portray women in their art.
And a few cute things to end this blog…
P.S.
For those with mobility issues, this park was very easy to navigate. They did a pretty great job with paving the walkways. The only other thing of note is you ABSOLUTELY want to make sure you use bug spray. The mosquitos were out in force. Now, on to Palenque, our hotel, the incredible archaeological site, and a rare dinner treat.
