The Olmec civilization Was one of the first to inhabit the geographical zone known as Mesoamerica, an area between Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador and Belize, which shared the same culture based on cultivation, agricultural economy, solar calendar, human sacrifices, stone tools and absence Of the metal.
The first settlers of this area are believed to have emigrated through the Bering Strait during the last glaciation, approximately until 13,000 years ago.
Head Olmeca in Museum of Villahermosa.
Until the 1930s, it was believed that the Olmecs were a derivation of the Mayas , A small group that was only known through small artifacts that had been found.
This was largely due to their cities being immersed in inaccessible places, embedded in the jungle which had absorbed them to be abandoned for millennia.
It was thanks to the archaeological discoveries of the 30s, in which it was discovered that this culture was in fact a great power, with great monolithic monuments, in addition to a great and advanced society and artistic culture.
The Olmec culture Was the first great civilization, outstanding for its great architectural works. Approximately 7,500 years ago is when the first signs of agriculture in the area are evident. The Olmec civilization began to flourish by the year 1500 BC.
The Olmec lived three major stages of development, having three capitals during that period of flowering. They began in San Lorenzo, then La Venta and finally in Tres Zapotes. The end of the Olmec culture remains a mystery.
The Olmec culture greatly influenced the later Mesoamerican civilizations Like the Aztecs and the already mentioned Maya; Especially as far as religion and art are concerned. Places as far as 700 kilometers have elements of their culture.
You may be interested in 15 most outstanding features of the Olmecs .
Political Organization of the Olmecs
In the beginning, the Olmecs were agrarian communities. The first civilizations that settled down in the American continent stopped being nomads and were dedicated to the agriculture. So they began to build their populations with more dedication.
By establishing their farms and distributing their activities, they began one of the primitive forms of egalitarian community.
There are two hypotheses about the political organization of the Olmecs. In one of them, the political and social structure was integrated into one.
An elite handled agricultural resources, water and stone quarries for construction. A hierarchical structure was created that monopolized resources.
The second theory suggests that elites descended from families who acquired the best farms, thus gaining control. Once with power, the priests arose.
The priests and the ruling elite were practically the same. The priests evolved to shamans or priest-kings with supposed divine powers. A religion was formed to support the power of the shamans, which came from the gods .
Economic Organization
The main economic activity of the Olmecs was agriculture. They had large crops of corn, sweet potatoes, avocado, beans, auyama and yams. Although normally settled on farms, they also came to practice slash-and-burn agriculture.
The Olmecs traded with basalt, rubber, shells, pottery and other objects. They formed alliances with the peoples with whom they traded, for example Monte Albán and Teotihuacan .
Sample of Olmec sculpture:"The twins". Photo retrieved from"The Olmec Civilization and Background"
The main economic centers of the Olmecs were the cities located in San Lorenzo, La Venta and three Zapotes. San Lorenzo is characterized by being a fertile area, where the haciendas abounded. They used rivers for irrigation and as a means of communication.
La Venta was characterized by being the area of commerce. Being on the coast, it was an important fishing area, and there were also rubber and cocoa crops.
Rubber products were subsequently used by other civilizations such as Aztecs And the Maya. Also the Sale area are the basalt mines that were also used by them.
The zone of Tres Zapotes was used during the period 400 a.C. - 1500 AD It is not known more of its economy, but if it is an area where the temples abound. Also stones were found where the Olmecs recorded their numbering.
Social organization
It is known that the Olmecs performed rituals with human sacrifices. They also had sports activities with balls made with natural rubber.
The Olmec cities, like San Lorenzo, had areas for the residences of the ruling elite and others for the general population. These consisted of terraces where houses are believed to be built.
The ruling class and the artists are thought to have lived in the city of about one thousand inhabitants, while the surrounding areas held about ten thousand people.
Places like La Venta, besides setting up the ruling elites and artisans, served as a pilgrimage site or sacred site to honor. It became a great center of marketing and fishing. The largest pyramids were built, one of them 33 meters high.
Olmec dress drawing
The Olmecs expanded and imposed their religious beliefs and their market in the surrounding areas, which is why clashes with other settlements occurred. Evidence of this are the drawings of warriors armed at war and weapons found.
As mentioned above, the working class lived apart, and brought offerings in religious ceremonies to the temples, where priests and the ruling lineage resided.
The religion was based on the cult of animals, some of them fantastic, like a winged serpent. Some caves were considered sacred sites. Through the use of hallucinogenic drugs, obtained from some plants, the priests went into trance and had their visions.
Once in a state of trance, it was said that the priests could manipulate the forces of nature, to attract rain and to grow crops.
The most important god for the Olmecs was a mixture of man and jaguar. This animal was highly revered for its great predatory ability over all other species.
One of the most notorious social activities was the ball game, much like football, played on approximately the same size courts. There were stands for the crowd at the sides and teams could not touch the ball.
The rubber ball was very heavy (about 3 kilograms) and could cause serious damage when hitting a player.
The players wore helmets and the captain of the losing team was sacrificed to the gods to request that the volcanoes did not erupt or that earthquakes did not occur.
The winning captain was very glorified and rewarding, making the risk of gambling worthwhile.
Recent archaeological discoveries have revealed that the Olmec script is the predecessor of many Maya glyphs previously discovered.
Even a drawing of a bird with some characters coming out of its mouth, remind the balloons used today to represent the dialogues of characters.
References
- Bernal, I. (1969). The Olmec World. California, University of California Press.
- Cartwright, M. (2013). Ancient History Encyclopedia: Olmec civilization. Recovered from: ancient.eu.
- Olmec civilization. Recovered from: ancient.eu.
- Olmec History. Retrieved from: olmec.info.
- Olmec people. Retrieved from: britannica.com.
- The Olmecs and the Chavins. Retrieved from: olmecandchavinsocieties.weebly.com.
- The olmecs. Retrieved from: kidspast.com.