Culture
The first significant civilization to develop in Mesoamerica was that of the Olmecs. Considered by some to be the mother culture of pre-Hispanic Mexico, the "rubber people" venerated the jaguar as supernatural. Olmec artifacts bearing images of the jaguars were distinguished by the combined physical characteristics of humans and felines, have been found scattered throughout Mexico.
Location
The remains of their ceremonial centers are found in the humid lowlands near the Gulf Coast in the states of Veracruz and Tabasco. San Lorenzo, the collective name of three related sites in the Coatzacoalcos River basin, was an important Olmec political-religious center that flourished between 1200 and 900 BC.
Olmec Head
The Olmecs are noted for the six colossal basalt heads each measuring eight to nine feet in height and weighing 20-40 tons. Carved from stone obtained 50 miles or more from the site, these uniquely Olmec monoliths have strikingly Negroid facial features and appear to be wearing helmets. Archaeologists discovered the first Olmec head at Tres Zapotes where they also found Stela C, bearing the long count date 31 BC. More gigantic Olmec heads, along with a number of massive stone altars and stelae, were found at La Venta, the culture's most important center. Presumably the stone works were somehow floated via waterways to La Venta, located on an island near the Gulf Coast. Sharing essential characteristics of all later Mesoamerican centers, the site is laid out along a north-south axis, with a huge clay and earth pyramid its most prominent feature. The center appears to have been deliberately destroyed around 400-300 BC.
Contributions
The Olmecs were apparently the first Mesoamerican people to fathom the concept of zero, develop a calendar, and create a hieroglyphic writing system. Also, they are credited for the discovery of the first conduit drainage system known in the Americas. These intellectual achievements, along with Olmec myths and rituals, were influential in the subsequent Maya, Zapotec, Mixtec and Aztec cultures.
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Introduction PageFAQs
The Olmec are probably best known for the statues they carved: 20 ton stone heads, quarried and carved to commemorate their rulers. The name Olmec is an Aztec word meaning the rubber people; the Olmec made and traded rubber throughout Mesoamerica.
What race were the Olmecs? ›
While historians have speculated that the facial features of some monumental carved heads indicate an African origin of these people, most scholars believe that the Olmec, like other native Americans, descended from Asian ancestors who entered North America during the Great Ice Age.
What destroyed the Olmecs? ›
The Olmec population declined sharply between 400 and 350 BCE, though it is unclear why. Archaeologists speculate that the depopulation was caused by environmental changes, specifically riverine environment changes. These changes may have been triggered by the silting up of rivers due to agricultural practices.
What did the Olmecs look like? ›
Facial features such as almond-shaped eyes (supposed feature of Chinese origin) and prominent lips (supposed feature of African origin) are put forward as proof by supporters of alternative origins. Both almond-shaped eyes and snarled mouths are characteristic of the were-jaguar motif common in Olmec art.
Why do we know so little about the Olmecs? ›
Much of Their Culture Has Been Lost
Their civilization declined around 400 B.C. and their major cities were reclaimed by the jungle. Because so much time has passed, much information about their culture has been lost. For example, it is not known if the Olmec had books, like the Maya and Aztecs.
Are there any Olmecs left? ›
Around 400 B.C. La Venta went into decline and was eventually abandoned altogether. With the fall of La Venta came the end of classic Olmec culture. Although the descendants of the Olmecs still lived in the region, the culture itself vanished.
Did the Olmecs use slavery? ›
Answer and Explanation: We cannot know for sure, but it seems unlikely in context that Olmecs had slaves, or if they did they were not central to the economy.
What did the Olmecs eat? ›
The Olmec diet consisted of notable New World crops including squash, beans, cassava, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, and maize. Maize was so important that the Olmecs worshiped a god dedicated exclusively to it. They domesticated and consumed a limited variety of animals, including dogs.
Who wiped out the Olmecs? ›
Historians do not know for sure what happened to the Olmec. Other Indians might have invaded and wiped out the Olmec. Or the Olmec might have suffered from crop failures or disease. Later Indians of Mexico and Central America kept some Olmec customs.
Did the Olmecs sacrifice humans? ›
Answer and Explanation: Yes, archeological findings suggest that Olmecs performed human sacrifices.
Some historians assert that the Mayans were the descendants of the Olmecs. There were many similarities between the Olmecs and the Mayans, and the Mayans seemed to improve upon innovations that the Olmecs had developed. For instance, the Mayans successfully used drainage and irrigation systems similar to the Olmecs'.
What language did the Olmecs speak? ›
Linguistic evidence has contributed to the ethnic identity of the archaeological Olmecs: they spoke a Mixe-Zoquean language. The Olmecs produced the earliest complex civilization in Mesoamerica (c. 1200–400 bce), and it was located mainly in the same area where Mixe-Zoquean languages are found.
What are 3 interesting facts about Olmecs? ›
Five facts about the Olmec civilization are: They sculpted gigantic stone heads, they developed the ball game that many later Mesoamerican cultures played, the first pyramid in Mesoamerica was built at the Olmec site of La Venta, Olmec art shows many hybrid creatures such as human-jaguars, and one of the favourite ...
What did the Olmecs invent? ›
The Olmec created massive monuments, including colossal stone heads, thrones, stela (upright slabs), and statues. They may have been the originators of the Mesoamerican ball game, a ceremonial team sport played throughout the region for centuries.
What were three of the Olmecs most important achievements? ›
The Olmecs were apparently the first Mesoamerican people to fathom the concept of zero, develop a calendar, and create a hieroglyphic writing system. Also, they are credited for the discovery of the first conduit drainage system known in the Americas.
Why were the Olmecs successful? ›
The Olmec civilization thrived as the earliest know Mesoamerican culture along the Gulf of Mexico. This location allowed their major cities of La Venta and San Lorenzo to develop into important trading and religious hubs.
Why were the Olmecs called the rubber people? ›
The Nahuatl (Aztec) name for these people, Olmecatl, or Olmec in the modern corruption, means “rubber people” or “people of the rubber country.” That term was chosen because the Olmecs extracted latex from Panama rubber trees (Castilla elastica) growing in the region and mixed it with the juice of a local vine (Ipomoea ...
What was an important Olmec god? ›
The Maize God
Because maize was such an important staple of life of the Olmec, it's not surprising that they dedicated a god to its production. The Maize God appears as a human-ish figure with a stalk of corn growing out of his head. Like the Bird Monster, Maize God symbolism frequently appears on depictions of rulers.
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