Colossal Heads (Civ6)

Colossal Heads
Introduced in Civilization VI
Unique to	La Venta
Built by	Builder
Unlocked by	Suzerain
Plunder	Faith
Effects
+2 Faith +1 Culture (Req. Humanism) (Vanilla and only) +1 Faith for every 2 adjacent Woods or Rainforest. Provides Tourism equal to its Culture output (Req. Flight) (Vanilla and only) Provides Tourism equal to its Faith output (Req. Flight)
Improves
Terrain	Volcanic Soil  Desert  Desert (Hills)  Plains  Plains (Hills)  Grassland  Grassland (Hills)  Tundra  Tundra (Hills)

Back to the list of tile improvements

Colossal Heads are a special tile improvement in Civilization VI. They can be built by a player that is the Suzerain of the La Venta city-state.

Vanilla and Rise and Fall

• Effects:
  • +2 Faith
  • +1 Culture (requires Humanism)
  • +1 Faith for every 2 adjacent Woods or Rainforests

Gathering Storm

• Effects:
  • +2 Faith
  • +1 Faith for every 2 adjacent Woods or Rainforests (increasing to +1 Faith for every adjacent Woods or Rainforest with Humanism)
  • Provides Tourism from Faith after researching Flight
• Restrictions:
  • Cannot be built on Snow or Snow Hills.

Strategy

Improving tiles with Colossal Heads may be a wise strategy for those who are seeking a Religious Victory. With a large number of these improvements being worked, you will generate a lot of Faith per turn.

In Gathering Storm, a single Colossal Head surrounded by Woods and/or Rainforests will provide 8 Faith and Tourism after researching Flight. This makes them helpful to culturally oriented civilizations that favor forested areas, such as the Brazilians, Kongolese, Māori, and Vietnamese. Like all tile improvements that provide Tourism based on yields, any bonus Faith on the Colossal Heads' tile from sources such as Earth Goddess, Fire Goddess, or Nazca Lines adds to their Tourism output.

Mvemba a Nzinga perhaps benefits the most from being able to build Colossal Heads, since his inability to build Holy Sites keeps his Faith generation low (and consequently makes it hard for him to purchase Naturalists and Rock Bands in pursuit of a Cultural Victory).

Civilopedia entry

The colossal “Olmec Heads,” 17 stone sculptures dating to before 900 BC, are the best known remnants (at least, by tourists) of the once flourishing Mesoamerican Olmec civilization. Carved from a single boulder and then transported many miles, each depicts the head and face of a mature man, likely that of a powerful Olmec ruler, or as some theories would have it, famous ball players (if so, not much has changed). The massive heads weigh between six (the smallest) and 50 tons (the largest, but unfinished), made from basalt from quarries in the Sierra de los Tuxtlas range near Veracruz. Given that the Olmec had no metal tools, the effort to scatter these sculptures across the countryside was immense … yet another instance of mankind’s desire to leave their mark on the world.

Gallery

Colossal Heads in game

Related achievements

Legends of the Hidden Temple Build a Colossal Head adjacent to a Holy Site with a Temple. A reference to the gameshow of the same name and its mascot, a massive stone head named Olmec.