radiarbon dating at san lorenzo and other olmec sis hapuedack the beginning of olmec culture by more than a milleium, to circa 1,200 b.c. newsre announc: 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 ana 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 atheitecove moran 300 htares, making it the laest d most complex site in mesoamerica duri t earlyressic orhearlyorma piod. 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 fromervoirs. ordinary pple may have led in the pthatched houses, li some still found ertoday. the populationncluded artisans skilled in specializedrafts. cyphers: we ha