The education of the Olmecs could become quite strict and varied according to sex; that is, men were being educated differently than women and vice versa.
As in many tribal cultures of Mesoamerica, Olmecs became the cradle of many customs of the current Latin American culture, or at least of those indigenous ethnic groups that are still in force.
Studies of historians as well as archaeologists have made some discoveries in which one can note how sex was a rather influential factor in Olmec education.
The education of the Olmecs was very advanced for their time
The Olmecs were an extinct civilization that formed during the Middle Preclassic period.
Many believe that Olmec culture is the"cradle"of Mesoamerican culture, despite this, there is much mystery and unanswered questions that historians can not understand.
It is very true that the Olmecs were influenced by other civilizations, especially in the origin of their artistic style and some customs that were present in their education.
The Olmecs were known for engaging in a variety of activities; men were the ones who normally went out to hunt, while women were doing household activities. This principle had a fundamental impact on the way in which the inhabitants were educated.
For example, there is evidence that women should be more modest, unlike men. They were to dress discreetly and control their manners.
Household tasks, such as grinding, cultivating and preparing food, were also jeopardized. They were those who were engaged in agriculture.
Men stood out as merchants, builders, artists and warriors. From very young they were taught that"force"was one of the most important values.
That is why they were bathed in very cold water and slept on the floor. All this with the intention of strengthening the character.
Influential achievements of Olmec education
The Olmecs also stood out for contributing great amounts of education to the Latin American western culture. This civilization developed a system of communication written through glyphs.
The creation of the calendar is also attributed to them. The Olmecs were also very skilled in art.
One of the works most recognized are the gigantic Olmec heads in which the artists represented warriors or chiefs of the tribes.
The Olmecs also educated themselves in economic subjects, since they were dedicated to the commercialization of agricultural products that offered to surrounding towns and nomadic groups Mesoamericanos.
Thanks to this knowledge, they were able to expand and create new trade routes, reaching countries such as Guatemala and Central Mexico.
Religion was an influential factor. They were polytheists and all their gods were related to land and agriculture.
The little ones were taught to worship the jaguar, an animal that is represented in much of the iconography of this civilization.
References
- Olmec. Retrieved on September 14, 2017, from wikipedia.org
- Education in the different pre-Hispanic cultures of Mexico. Retrieved on September 14, 2017, from broocktheblog.blogspot.com
- The olmecas. Retrieved on September 14, 2017, from yumiqocervantes.blogspot.com
- Olmecas educational policy. Retrieved on September 14, 2017, from es.slideshare.net
- Olmec culture. Retrieved on September 14, 2017, from sites.google.com.