According to Warren and Ferguson, four generations followed Shiblom in which there were iniquitous kings; they were Seth, Ahah, Ethem, and Moron (see Ether 11:9-14). At the site of La Venta, there are in fact four colossal Olmec heads. It is interesting to compare the number of rulers at both San Lorenzo and La Venta with the numbers of Olmec colossal heads discovered. Eight colossal heads have been found at San Lorenzo. Although the book of Ether does not tell us how many kings there were in the ruling class, the subjected class of Jaredites had eight generations from Lib to Shiblom. In a SEHA newsletter (#103.60, August 12, 1967) Dr. Fred W Nelson Jr. concludes that "these heads could have been sculpted to represent the kings or famous generals of the period."
These giant Olmec stone heads were quarried and carved in the Tuxtla mountains, and then transported by land and water to the site of San Lorenzo. The actual distance travelled would have been over eighty kilometers. Some of those monuments weighed twenty tons!
Though the heads superficially appear negroid, most experts now dismiss that possibility. As far as the stubby noses and facial features, Michael Coe makes the comment that to sculpt a protruding nose would have meant removing several additional tons of basalt by the most tedious process and would have increased the chances of breakage in transport. In actuality, very little rock was removed from the boulders. [Bruce W. Warren and David A. Palmer, The Jaredite Saga, pp. 8-12--16]
Geographical [Theory Map]: Ether 11:15 - 11:32 Ether Prophesies Doom to Coriantumr (Chronology)