The purpose of Mesoamerican potbelly statues have been the subject of debate among anthropologists for decades: Are they depictions of the ruling elite? A way to honor dead ancestors? Or perhaps portrayals of women giving birth?

Magnetic scans performed on potbelly sculptures from Monte Alto, Guatemala, now housed in La Democracia,
Guatemala, revealed for the first time that they were originally magnetized by lightning strikes…

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Source: archeo