Although Young Lord was found outside of the Olmec heartland between El Salvador and Guatemala, the themes and motifs engraved into it are characteristically Olmec.

The statue is nearly 5 feet tall and is engraved with a meticulous care usually reserved for much smaller pieces.

There are two complementary figures engraved into the Young Lord's forearms. One interpretation is that the figure shown here is sacrificing the figure adjacent to it.

One can notice that this figure is clearly bound at the legs and the feet with his hands tied behind his back. Furthermore, it would appear that he has been stabbed through the chest and that his life force is exiting his body through his feet.

This engraving is found on the right leg of the statue. The central theme here is of a fish inspired zoomorph. If you imagine this engraving as a boot, the head would be the sole and heel of the boot while the tail would be the opening of the boot, or the top of the engraving. The snail like creature in the middle right of the engraving is thought to be a smaller representation of this same creature. The four human-like heads seen in this engraving are thought to be spirits that accompany this creature between different supernatural realms.

This engraving is found on the left leg of the statue. The central figure here, and whose head is at the very bottom of the engraving, is an Olmec Dragon. This specific iteration of the Olmec Dragon makes clear references to fertility, rain, and water. The corn in the middle right of the engraving represents fertility, while the "drops" of water on the humanoid heads represents rain.