Chalcatzingo was an important Olmec trading and agricultural center in the Amatzinac Valley in central Mexico. The site is located at the base of two hills, Cerro Delgado and Cerro Chalcatzingo, and it reached its largest extent between 700 and 500 BC. Chalcatzingo's architecture included residential buildings, plazas, and sunken patios, but it is perhaps best known for the numerous rock carvings that have been found on monuments and cliff faces at the site.

Monument 1, known as El Rey or The King, is a bas-relief carved directly onto a cliff face located over a major water drainage channel for Cerro Chalcatzingo. The carving depicts an extravagantly dressed figure holding a ceremonial rod and seated within a U-shaped enclosure. Rain clouds, rain drops and pairs of concentric circles hover above the enclosure. The depiction of the U-shaped enclosure is a common element in Mesoamerican illustration. Some archaeologists describe it as an Earth Monster Face, and suggest that it may represent a cave. The concentric circle motifs are thought to represent the importance of water, and the stylized clouds and raindrops that are mirrored on the clothing of the seated figure also emphasize the importance and value of water. The seated figure may thus be interpreted as a ruler or guardian of water and fertility.

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