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OLMEC SOCIETY
Olmec Society
The Olmec were one of earliest known civilizations in South
America.
They lived in present day Veracruz and Tabasco of Southern
Mexico.
Their civilization began around 1500BC.
There are over 25 main sites located throughout the region.
This is referred to as the Olmec Heartland.
Most of the geographic features consist of hills, swampy
lowlands, and volcanoes.
Soft soils also allowed water to create canals and waterways
for transportation.
La Venta
La Venta, is one of the main sites found near the Coatzacoalcos River system.
By 1200BC it seems to have been a major city center but reached its peak 300 years later with the decline of San Lorenzo to the southwest.
La Venta was built with sand and clay as few rocks were available.
Imported stones were brought in from nearby mountain ranges but were only used to make large monuments.
The only people allowed to live in the city were wealthy. All others lived in small groups outside of the main area.
La Venta
One of the earliest Pyramids made is located near Complex C.
The Great Pyramid is 110ft. High and has over 100,000 cubic meters of earth fill.
It appears conical in shape now but research shows it was once rectangular with stepped sides.
It has never been excavated but magnometers surveys indicate buried items inside.
La Venta
To the north of the pyramid is complex A.
It is surrounded by a series of basalt columns and mounds
that contained buried objects, most likely offerings to gods.
Thousands of carefully shaped blocks were covered by clay.
3 rectangular shaped plazas of mosaic bricks were also
unearthed.
Interestingly, these were not made for display as the Olmec
covered them with clay and then more earth on top of that.
One sarcophagus was found with what appeared to be some
sort of monster carved on the outside.
Many suggest this was a burial place for royalty.
La Venta
La Venta
To the south lies Complex B which seems to be a place for large gatherings.
It is about 400m x 100m.
In the very center is a large platform that has led researchers to believe performances were held here.
Across from Complex B is the Stirling Acropolis.
The site is most famous for being home to four colossal heads.
These are massive stone heads carved around 700BC.
The basalt quarry the stones came from are over 80km away and makes one wonder how they were moved.
They are up to 9.4 ft tall and weigh thousands of pounds.
La Venta
Additionally, several large „altars‟ have been discovered.
They are around 6ft tall and 12ft wide.
In the center front of #4 and #5 is a well dressed figure.
Overall, La Venta is a mystery as no written documents have survived.
San Lorenzo
San Lorenzo is known as Olmec City and is also the site of 10 colossal heads.
The largest head here is over 3m high and weighs over 20 tons.
Archaeologists found a sacrificial bog with evidence of permanent inhabitants since 1600BC.
It was the largest city in Mesoamerica from 1200BC to 900BC.
It was eventually overtaken by the people of La Venta.
An estimated 5,500 people could have lived in the immediate agricultural area of San Lorenzo.
An additional 13,000 may have been able to sustain themselves in surrounding lands.
San Lorenzo
There is a fairly elaborate system of water drainage that consists of covered “pipes” made out of channeled stones.
Researchers believe this has just as much of a ritualistic purpose as it does survival (drinking water).
Overall, Olmec culture had a surprising amount of advanced artwork.
They used jade, basalt, clay, and greenstone mostly.
San Lorenzo
The important thing to note is that these materials came
from areas over 150 miles away.
Jade, for example, is traced to the Motagua River valley in
Guatemala.
What this means is that only the wealthy had access to
such things and art became associated with highly
stratified society.
The “were-Jaguar” motif is very popular in artwork from
San Lorenzo.
A motif is a recurring theme in artwork, writing, or music.
San Lorenzo
The downturned open mouth and slanting eyes are considered to be symbolic of a jaguar deity.
It is well known that animals are associated with shamanism in Mesoamerican cultures.
In a sense, the optimal spirit would have the spirituality and intellect of man and the ferocity and strength of the jaguar.
To the right is a picture of an Olmecwith a half-jaguar baby.
San Lorenzo
They used kilns capable of reaching temperatures over 900 degrees Celsius.
Only Egyptian kilns had the same capability.
Olmec style masks have been recovered in other areas outside of the “heartland”.
This may suggest trade, theft, or people venturing away permanently.
Figurines in scenes have been found but it is not known what they represented.
FOCUS: Olmec giant Heads
17 Colossal Heads have been unearthed to date.
San Lorenzo has 10
La Venta has 4
Tres Zapatos has 2
Rancho la Cobata has 1
The heads range in size from the Rancho La Cobata head, at 3.4 m high, to the pair at Tres Zapotes, at 1.47 m. It has been calculated that the largest heads weigh between 25 and 55 short tons (50 t).
The heads were carved from single blocks or boulders of volcanic basalt, found in the Tuxtlas Mountains.
FOCUS: Olmec giant Heads
It has been estimated that moving a
colossal head required the efforts of
1,500 people for three to four months.
Some people believe stones were
rolled and/or floated down river
systems.
Other stone carvings have been
recognized as “recycled” colossal
heads.
They were recarved, most likely due
to a shortage of stone.
Innovations
Olmecs are credited for being the first in Mesoamerica to
practice sacrifice and bloodletting.
They are also noted for developing the concept of zero, the
Mesoamerican calendar, the compass, and the Mesoamerican
ballgame.
Innovations
They may have been
the first civilization in
the western hemisphere
to have developed
writing.
Characters dating back
to 650BC have been
found.
Assignments
Go to www.chrisshinski.wikispaces.com and look for
the Olmec Worksheet and lecture pdf file
Follow these links to answer the questions related to
them
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2010/05/photo
galleries/100518-oldest-pyramid-tomb-zoque-mexico-
science-pictures/#/mexico-tomb-jade-bachand-cleaning-
skeleton_20359_600x450.jpg
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/05/17/tech/main64
93626.shtml