b.c. newsreel announc: now we're off for the second phase of our exploration. obregon: stirling beganigging at san lorenzo in 1946, with the archaeologist philip drucker. stirling pugh: and sure enough, ere was a big head, a beautifully carved big head, much finer [and] more ndsome thanhe ones at la venta. obregon: stirling proposed that these enigmatic sculptures wereortraits of prominent individuals in olmec society. mostf the vast site of san lorenzo remains to be explored. new speaker: we now know thathe site cove moran 300 hectares, making it the laest and most complex site in mesoamerica duri the earlyressic orhearlyormati period. obregon: the elite resided on the huge manmade plateau that dominates the site. one house, calle the "red palace," had stone columns and steps and was supplied with war channeled fromeservoirs. ordinary pple may have led in the pm-thatched houses, like some still found there toy. the polation included artisans skilled in specialized crafts. cyphers: we have a lot of evidence for workshop activity here. there are areas where they

b.c. newsreel announcer: now we're off for the second phase of our exploration. obregon: stirling beganigging at san lorenzo in 1946, with the archaeologist philip dcker. stirling pugh: and sure enough, ere was a big head, a beautifully carved big head, much finer [d] more ndsome thanhe ones ata venta. obregon: stirling proposethat these enigmatic sculptures wereortraits of prominent individuals in olmec society. mostf the vast site of san lorenzo remains to be explored. new speaker: we now know athe sitecove m, making it the laest and most complex site in mesoamerica duri the earlyressic orhearlyormative period. obregon: the elite resided on the huge manmade plateau that dominates the site. one house, calle the "red palace," had stone columns and steps and was supplied with war channeled fromeservoirs. ordinary people may have lived in the pm-thatched houses, like some still found ere today. the populationncluded artisans skilled in specializedrafts. cyphers: we have a lot of evidence for workshop activity here. there are areas where theyorked obdian, green ston