Olmec
Nahuatl for “Rubber People”
HISTORICAL NOTES
The first major civilization in Mexico began in the lowlands of south central Mexico in the states now called Tabasco & Veracruz. The Olmec civilization spanned over 1200 years from 1600 to 400 BC and influenced all the other Mesoamerican cultures that followed. Previous to this time, and perhaps as early as 5100 BC., a number of primitive farming cultures occupied the land who were likely forerunners of the Olmec culture, sharing farming and cultivation techniques and crops.
DATES
1600 to 400 BC
LOCATION & DESCRIPTION
Map Here
Geographic location
The Olmec heartland was located in the swampy lowlands framed by the Tuxtlas Mountains to the North and the Gulf of Mexico to the east. It is noted for volcanoes, hills and ridges. Here the cities of San Lorenzo Tenochtitlán, Tres Zapotes, La Venta, and Laguna de los Cerros.
The culture was first centered on the San Lorenzo site close to the coast in southeastern Veracruz. The soil was perfect for farming and the Coatzacoalcos River provided a constant water source for both the crops and for trading. Given the excellent agricultural conditions, the civilization had the opportunity to grow in a stable spot.
The ruling elite began to also grow and trade began to demand religious and luxury goods imported from distant outside sources. They developed an extensive trading network from Puebla to Guatemala on the North South Axis and from Atlantic to Pacific East to West. Materials such as obsidian, jade and magnetite were sourced from distant locations.
Recent studies indicate that Olmec trade and cultural influence went as far south as Guatemala and perhaps as far as Nicaragua. The Olmec civilization while appearing to have had a general heartland, also saw an expanded territory of civilization and influence.
CULTURAL ACTIVITIES
The Olmec had a highly complex religious and belief system and they practiced self-sacrifice in the form of bloodletting. It is believed they also participated in human sacrifice although more study is needed. The Olmec likely began the semi-religious sport of the ball game. Besides the ball player helmets on the colossal heads, archeologists have found many rubber balls (1600 BC) that appear to predate ball courts.
The Olmec had a developed writing system – the first in Mesoamerica – and developed the concept of zero.
The architecture and urban layout of the Olmecs were replicated by other later cultures. The earliest known pyramid in Mesoamerica is the “Great Pyramid” located in La Venta.
Perhaps the most recognizable forms of Olmec culture are the colossal stone heads and other forms of artwork. There are a number of lifelike sculptures made from clay, basalt, jade and greenstone as well as imaginary beings combining animal and human shapes. These anthropomorphic beings appear to hold religious purpose and meaning.
The range of religious/cultural sculptures includes the altars, three dimensional sculptures, stelae and colossal heads. Of these, the giant heads are the most recognizable art form of the Olmec. Seventeen heads have been found thus far; 10 from San Lorenzo, 4 from La Venta, 2 from Tres Zapotes, and 1 from Rancho la Cobata.
The heads are not without controversy, no two are the same size nor do they wear the same design. Some believe they were ball players however a more common thought is that they were rulers dressed as ball players and that the helmet designs were clan symbols.
The heads were carved from a single block of volcanic basalt in the Tuxtlas Mountains. The raw material would have been transported for hundreds of kilometers away. The largest heads weigh between 25 and 55 tons and range in size from 3.4 meters.
DECLINE
The cultural decline of the Olmecs began around 400 BC and the cause is unclear. Some believe it was the result of environmental changes that could not sustain farming for large populations. For example the silting of the rivers making transportation and farming impossible. Others believe that the constant eruptions of the volcanoes led to the movement of the populations.