SSWH1e: Explain the rise of the Olmecs

3500 BCE

Economic �  Economic: Geographic

isolation

�  Agricultural villages based on cultivation of corn, beans, and squash

�  Villages grew into urban centers around 1200 BCE

�  Sophisticated trade networks and craft production existed

Political and Social �  Political authority and social

stratification (hierarchy) developed in urban areas; due to agricultural surplus (More food), need for irrigation systems, ceremonial buildings

�  Construction of large monumental heads indicated a strong centralized government, due to labor constraints

�  Each Olmec city was likely independently ruled by a hereditary monarch who maintained power by presenting himself as an intermediary to the gods

Possibly what a Olmec ruler looked like

Religion �  Rulers, assisted by priests,

performed rituals on city center platforms where they practiced bloodletting and human sacrifice

�  Rituals reinforced power of the state and laid cultural groundwork for following future nearby civilizations

Intellectual and Technological

�  Paintings and sculpture (Large heads of rulers)