The Olmec gods Belonged to the mythology of this pre-Hispanic culture, which was the first great civilization in Guatemala and Mexico. The Olmecs inhabited the tropical region of central-southern Mexico, currently occupied by the states of Veracruz and Tabasco. Some anthropologists consider that the Olmec culture was derived from the neighboring Mokaya and Mixe-Zoque cultures.
Its population flourished during the Mesoamerican formative period, comprised approximately between 1500 BC and 400 AD. Some of the most well-known aspects of the Olmec culture are the artistic one, represented largely by the colossal heads, also known as"Olmec heads".
Guerrero jaguar Olmeca. Century XVI.
As for their religious beliefs and practices, they were performed by a mixture of governors, priests and shamans. It seems that the governors were the most important figures within the Olmec religious organization, believing that they had direct links with the deities or supernatural beings.
Because there is no documentary record of Olmec mythology comparable to the Popol Vuh in Mayan culture, any conclusion about it has been made on the basis of the interpretation of the artistic works found and its comparison with other Mesoamerican mythologies.
Olmec art shows, for example, that deities such as the feathered serpent were already part of the Mesoamerican pantheon during the Olmec era.
The Olmec gods were many and varied. Some of them were worshiped for healing purposes, others possessed dark powers, and some were even evil. Religion was an essential part of the Olmec culture. They believed that each individual had an animal spirit.
The shamans conducted healing rituals for the sick. It is believed that the sun was one of the idols that worshiped, just like the jaguar.
The 9 main Olmec gods
1- The jaguar
He was a very important figure in Olmec mythology and probably the main god. It was known as"nahual"and was so closely related to some men that it was believed that, if the animal died, man would also. The jaguar was the shaman of the animal world, a kind of alter-ego of the Olmec shaman.
The Olmecs regarded the jaguar as a deity of rain and fertility. They considered him the most feared and powerful animal. As a tribute, the Olmecs performed sacrifices of blood on their behalf.
2 - Dragon God
Also called the"Earth Monster", the Olmec dragon had eyebrows of fire, a bulging nose and a forked tongue. Seen from the front, the eyes are hollow. Viewed in profile, the eyes are shaped like L.
It has prominent tusks, sometimes depicted as a letter U put on head. Along with the Monster Ave, the dragon is one of the most represented divinities of Olmec culture.
3- God of Maize
No food played such a profound role in the social and cultural development of Mesoamerica as corn. The Olmec god named Homxuk, who in the original language of this ethnic group means"new emergence", was considered a great ally of humanity.
He was son of the Sun and sought to obtain immortality for the human race. Its most popular graphic representation is an elongated, oval effigy resembling an ear, with a face in the center.
4- Spirit of the rain
Rain is a constant motif in Mesoamerican mythology. Typically it is identified with the masculine gender, but sometimes it is accompanied by a spouse with which it controls the precipitation in pair.
In Olmec culture, this spirit was frequently represented as a small person, perhaps a dwarf or a child. In some codices he may be represented as a powerful being, commander of an army of assistants.
5- Male-jaguar
This entity was at the same time an Olmec motif, a figure that appeared in multiple graphic representations, and a deity. As a classic feature has slanted eyes, open mouth with the corners down and a prominent head.
There are many appearances in archaeological remains. According to interpretations of Olmec codices, its origin could be the relation between a woman and a jaguar.
6- Feathered Serpent
He is also an icon in several Mesoamerican cultures. Its oldest representation is the Olmec, which is estimated to be around 1400 BC.
Some of the archaeological remains that represent her, as in La Venta, Mexico, show her as a crested rattlesnake and feathers that cover her body. He was usually close to humans.
9- Shark Monster
The shark is an important, but often misunderstood, element in Olmec iconography. It is believed that the"Shark Monster"played a fundamental role in the history of creation.
While fighting with a hero in the beginning of time, he cut off an arm, which gave rise to the formation of the earth's surface. It is one of the few marine symbols in the mythology of this culture.
10- God Bandit
This enigmatic divinity gets its name from the narrow band that runs along one side of his face, from one of his torn eyes. Like many other Olmec gods, the depiction of the bandit god has a flat head and a mouth with the corners down.
11- Man of the harvest
In the cultures that flourished in Mesoamerica, fertility was represented by this deity. Like many other Olmec effigies, the graphic manifestations of the man of the harvest were characterized by a characteristic cleft in the head.
The mythology indicated that this god was a man who decided to sacrifice his life so that his people could produce food.