The Wrestler (sculpture) - Subject and Dating

Subject and Dating

Despite its name, it is unlikely that the figure represents a wrestler and it is thought that the mustache and goatee connect the subject to the "political-religious hierarchy". Based on similarities with Jacques le Moyne's painting of a 16th century Timucua ritual, art historian Roy Craven suggests that the figure is that of a shaman, although this proposal has received little notice. Based on the individuality of the piece as well as the detail inherent in the face, it is thought that the sculpture is a portrait.

Being a work of stone without archaeological context, it has been difficult to date the sculpture. While some researchers consider it an early work, dated as early as 1200 BCE, others consign it to a period closer to 400 BCE, near the end of the Olmec culture. This dating is based largely on its dissimilarities to earlier formalistic Olmec sculptures. Michael Coe simply assigns it to the period between 1500 BCE and 400 BCE.