I have chosen the Olmec culture of Mexico and Mesoamerica to share in this blog posting as part of my "INDIGENOUS PEOPLES OF LATIN AMERICA" series.
Many years ago while exploring the Veracruz region of Mexico my husband and I visited the incredible Xalapa Museum dedicated to the Olmec people. We were astounded by what we saw and I have never forgotten the experience. This blog posting will share the culture of the Olmec people while highlighting the amazing stone head sculptures created by the Olmec.
Researching this relatively unknown people has really caught my attention. To me the Olmec are fabulously fascinating, mystifying, and bewildering. What more could I want for a blog posting. So if you are ready to meet the Olmec let's get to it!
The Olmec were the first major Mesoamerica culture despite being younger than the Maya. The name “Olmec” was almost certainly not what they called themselves, but is derived from Aztec writings which called the area they lived in "Olman." In the Aztec language of Nahuatl the word Olmec means “land of rubber" or "rubber people" because of the abundance of rubber trees in the area.
The Olmec made rubber from the native trees which they traded throughout Mesoamerica. Because the Olmec did not have writing skills other than a handful of carved glyph symbols which have survived we do know know what name the Olmec called themselves.
The mysterious Olmec civilization was located in ancient Mexico and prospered in Pre-Classical (Formative) Mesoamerica from about 1200 BCE to 400 BCE. The Olmec are generally considered the forerunner of subsequent Mesoamerica cultures including the Maya and Aztecs. They lived in the tropical lowlands on the Gulf of Mexico in the present-day Mexican states of Veracruz and Tabasco.
San Lorenzo Tenochtitlan (or San Lorenzo) is the collective name for three related archaeological sites including San Lorenzo, Tenochtitlan, and Potrero Nuevo located in the southeast portion of the Mexican state of Veracruz. Along with La Venta and Tres Zapotes San Lorenzo Tenochtitlan was one of the three major cities of the Olmec and it was the major center of Olmec culture from 1200 BCE to 900 BCE.
They were farmers, artists, mathematicians, and astronomers. They wrote in hieroglyphics as did many of the cultures that followed them. They never built any major cities that we are aware of, but they did leave one pyramid behind before it collapsed.
The Olmec were among the first Mesoamerica complex societies and their culture influenced many later civilizations including the Maya. Their most famous legacy are the mysterious and immense Olmec heads which average nine feet in height with a weight of 30 tons. The Olmec heads were carved from basaltic volcanic rock found over 80 miles away and then transported to their "resting place." It is believed that the stone heads were carved to commemorate their rulers.
Archaeological evidence suggests that the Olmec originated the Mesoamerica ballgame which was popular in pre-Colombian America. The Mesoamerican ballgame was a sport with ritual associations played since 1400 BC by the pre-Columbian people of Ancient Mesoamerica.
A modern day ballgame player in Mexico keeping the tradition alive.
In the most common theory of the game the players struck the ball with their hips although it is believed that in some versions the use of forearms, rackets, bats, or hand stones were used. The ball was made of solid rubber and weighed as much as nine pounds. This was one serious "game" with the losing team members often executed.
There are no written records of Olmec commerce, beliefs, or customs, but from archaeological evidence it appears they interacted and traded with nearby indigenous peoples. In fact, Olmec artifacts have been found across Mesoamerica indicating that there were extensive inter regional trade routes.
The Olmec culture was defined and unified by a specific art style. Crafted in a variety of materials including jade, clay, basalt, and green stone much of the Olmec art is naturalistic.
The most striking art left behind by the Olmec culture were colossal sized carved heads. Seventeen monumental stone representations of human heads sculpted from large basalt boulders have been unearthed in the region occupied by the Olmec to date.
The most recognized aspect of the Olmec civilization are the enormous helmeted heads. As no known pre-Columbia text explains them these impressive monuments have been the subject of much speculation. Once theorized to be ballplayers, it is now generally accepted that these heads are images of rulers perhaps dressed as ballplayers.
The heads date from at least before 900 BCE and are a distinctive feature of the Olmec civilization. The heads were arranged in either lines or groups at major Olmec centers, but the method and logistics used to transport the stone to the sites remain uncertain.
Seventeen confirmed examples of the colossal stone heads are known from four sites within the Olmec heartland on the Gulf Coast of Mexico. Most colossal heads were sculpted from spherical boulders, however two from San Lorenzo Tenochtitlan were re-carved from massive stone thrones.
From the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City
"Met curator Joanne Pillsbury on immortality in Mask, 10th–6th century B.C.E. by the Olmec peoples of ancient Mexico:
Depicting a typical Olmec face with slanted, almond-shaped eyes and a toothless, slightly down turned mouth, this mask is rendered with simplicity and elegance. Its harmonious proportions are indicative of the sophistication attained by Olmec sculptors.
The smooth, highly polished planes of cheek, forehead, and chin plus the almost fleshy quality of the nose and parted lips belie the incredible hardness of the jadeite cobble from which the mask was made.
The face itself is neither human nor supernatural, but rather an idealized type that incorporates otherworldly aspects such as the mouth, with its reference to the so-called were-jaguar, a powerful mythic being with human and jaguar trait."
The Olmec population declined sharply between 400 and 350 BCE although it is unclear why. Archaeologists speculate that the depopulation was caused by environmental changes including specifically the silting-up of rivers which choked off the water supply.
Another theory for the considerable population drop and the relocation of their settlements might have been caused due to increased volcanic activity in the region. Volcanic eruptions during the Early, Late, and Terminal Formative periods would have blanketed the lands with ash and forced the Olmec to move their settlements.
There were eight different androgynous (possessing male and female characteristics) Olmec deities each with its own distinct characteristics. Deities also often represented a natural element and included the following: the Maize (corn) deity, the Rain Spirit (also known as the Were-Jaguar deity), and the Fish or Shark Monster.
Infused with individuality no two heads are alike and the helmet-like headdresses are adorned with distinctive elements suggesting personal or group symbols. Some have also speculated that Mesoamerican people believed that the soul along with all of one's experiences and emotions was contained inside the head.
Seventeen heads have been discovered to date ten of which are from San Lorenzo and four from La Venta which were two of the most important Olmec centers. The heads were each carved from a single basalt boulder which in some cases were transported sixty two miles, or more, to their final destination, presumably using huge balsa river rafts wherever possible and log rollers on land.
The principal source of this heavy stone was Cerro Cintepec in the Tuxtla Mountains. The heads can be nearly (9.8 feet high and 14.7 feet in circumference and averaging around 16,000 pounds in weight. The heads were sculpted using hard hand-held stones and it is likely that they were originally painted using bright colors.
The fact that these giant sculptures depict only the head may be explained by the widely held belief in Mesoamerica culture that it was the head alone which contained the emotions, experience, and soul of an individual.
All examples of Olmec colossal heads wear distinctive headdresses which might represent cloth or animal hides. Some examples have a tied knot at the back of the head and some are decorated with feathers. A head from La Venta is decorated with the head of a bird.
There are similarities between the headdresses on some of the heads that has led to speculation that specific headdresses may represent different dynasties or perhaps identify specific rulers.
Dr. Alfonso Caso was the first to propose the Olmec culture as being the "mother culture" of Mesoamerica pre-dating even the Maya. Matthew Williams Stirling, an American archaeologist, supported this hypothesis. He was quoted as saying: "This great culture which we encounter in ancient prehistoric levels of excavation is without a doubt mother of other cultures, like the Maya, the Teotihuacan, the Zapotec, that of El Tajin, and others."
Matthew Williams Stirling (August 28, 1896 -January 23, 1975) was an American archaeologist and best known for his discoveries relating to the Olmec civilization. It would be nearly 15 years before radiocarbon dating finally confirmed that the Olmec pre-dated the Maya. The Olmec culture is generally considered to have lasted from 1400 BCE until 400 BCE.
Today San Lorenzo Tenochtitlan is best known for the colossal stone heads unearthed there including the largest weighing in at 30 tons and approximately 10 feet in height.
Front and side views of Colossal Head #1 which is now located at the Museum of Anthropology of Xalapa in the state of Veracruz. This head dates from 1200 to 900 BCE and is approximately 9 feet tall and and 7 feet wide. That's definitely one impressive head!
Hanging out with the Olmec heads in Xalapa, Veracruz was one incredible experience. Thank you for joining me and my brief introduction to the Olmec of Mexico. I look forward to another adventure soon and appreciate your company. Until then, wishing you well wherever your adventuress and travels take you. Saludos, Laura
