these renditions are generally concentrated on bowls from the Valley of Mexico (as shown on left), although the Banded-eye God is one of the five supernaturals shown on Las Limas Monument 1 from the Olmec heartland. Rather than a distinct supernatural in its own right, however, Taube finds God IV to be yet another aspect of the Maize God. Feathered Serpent (God V) The feathered (or plumed) serpent depicted throughout Mesoamerica first appears in Olmec times, although there is some disagreement concerning its importance to the Olmec. The Feathered Serpent appears on La Venta Stele 19 (above) and within a Juxtlahuaca cave painting (see this Commons photo), locations hundreds of miles apart. Fish or Shark Monster (God VI) Most often recognized by its shark tooth, the head of the monster also features a crescent-shaped eye, and a small lower jaw. When depicted in its full-body form, such as on San Lorenzo Monument 58 or on the Young Lord figurine, the anthropomorphic Fish Monster also displays crossed bands, a dorsal fin, a split tail. This supernatural's profile is shown on the left leg of Las Limas Monument 1 (see Commons drawing). Continuity hypothesis Marshall Howard Saville first suggested in 1929 that the Olmec deities were forerunners of later Mesoamerican gods, linking were-jaguar votive axes with the Aztec god Tezcatlipoca. This proposal was amplified by Miguel Covarrubias in his 1957 work Indian Art of Mexico and Central America where he famously drew a family tree showing 19 later Mesoamerican rain deities as descendants of a "jaguar masked" deity portrayed on a votive axe. The continuity hypothesis has since been generally accepted by scholars, although the extent of Olmec influence on later cultures is still debated. Notes References (2005) "The Shark-Monster in Olmec Iconography", in Mesoamerican Voices, 2005, v. 2. (1990) The Mythology of Mexico and Central America, William Morrow, . (1972) "Olmec Jaguars and Olmec Kings" in E.P. Benson (ed), The Cult of the Feline. Washington D.C.: Dumbarton Oaks, pp. 1–12. (1989) "The Olmec heartland: evolution of ideology" in Robert J. Sharer and David C. Grove, (ed), Regional Perspectives on the Olmec. Cambridge University Press, , pp. 68–82. , pp. 64, 75-76. (1957) Indian Art of Mexico and Central America, New York: Alfred A. Knopf. (1996) "In Search of the Olmec Cosmos: Reconstructing the World View of Mexico's First Civilization". In E. P. Benson and B. de la Fuente (eds.), Olmec Art