Mexican head heading to West Valley

WEST VALLEY CITY — The Utah Cultural Celebration Center is getting a big head — a very big head.

The center announced Wednesday that it will be receiving a 6-ton, 7-foot-tall replica of an ancient Olmec head, a gift from the governor of the Mexican state of Veracruz.

Officials said the gift is a great honor, one of only three such heads in the entire United States and 14 worldwide. In the United States, one is at the Chicago Field Museum and the other is on display at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C.

"We're really excited to be getting this," said West Valley Mayor Dennis Nordfelt. "It's en route right now."

The head will be on permanent display at the cultural center, 1355 West 3100 South, starting with a special unveiling ceremony on May 22 from 6 p.m. to midnight. The event will include food, a mariachi band, dancing and fireworks.

"It's not only a big head, it's a big deal," said center director Ross Olsen. A special platform has been created to mount the head near the center's outdoor performing stage plaza.

Nordfelt said the gift was in the works a year ago when representatives of the U.S./Mexican chamber of commerce visited West Valley City. "We took them on a tour of our new cultural celebration center," Nordfelt said, "and we mentioned how we wanted to include some things from various cultures."

Word soon came from the governor of Veracruz that they wanted to donate a head.

Olsen said the head will be delivered to the U.S./Mexico border by truck, where it will be transferred onto another truck for delivery to West Valley City.

The head may be only one of several cultural objects the center, which has been open about a year, will house.

Nordfelt said the sculpture will be a good fit for his city and the center. "About 20 percent of our population is Hispanic, and many of them are from Mexico. They all contribute both economically and culturally to our community."

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