The Olmecs

Firsts First humans moved into South America c. 12,000 BCE Domestication of plants c BCE (gourds, avocados, beans, and squash) Domestication of Corn c 5,000 BCE in Central America Start of Agriculture in NE Woodlands c. 2,300 BCE First corn cultivated in Canada (ON) c. 500 CE Tobacco and Beans are grown in Canada (ON) c. 1,000 CE Largest settlement in North America (in Illinois) had an estimated population of 30 – 40,000 and covered a larger area than London England c CE Three Sisters (corn, beans, and squash) grown in Canada (ON) c CE Estimated population of North America in the 15th century – million By 16th century – est. 2,200 Lang spoken in NA / SA

Olmecs and Mayans

Olmecs Earliest known settlements appeared around 1200 BCE “Olmec” was not what they called themselves It means “rubber people” and comes from the rubber trees that flourish in the region

Characteristics of Olmec Civilization Good farmers Area received abundant rainfall so irrigation systems were not needed They had to build elaborate drainage systems to prevent floods Specialization of labor Jade craftsmen Cities Built around ceremonial centers (important religious locations) A social hierarchy Common subjects provided labor and tribute to the elite

Characteristics of Olmec Civilization Organized religion and education priests, temples, altars, and human sacrifice Development of complex forms of economic exchange Imported = jade and obsidian Exported = basalt and ceramics Technologies Astronomers, mathematicians (developed a calendar) Art colossal human heads sculpted from basalt rock

Olmec Head at La Venta

Decline of the Olmec Olmecs systematically destroyed their ceremonial centers at both San Lorenzo and La Venta and then deserted the sites No one knows why civil war? By c. 400 B.C.E., Olmecs were surpassed by other societies

Mayans Began to develop around 300 C.E. in southern Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, Honduras, and El Salvador Known as “The People of the Jaguar” Like the Olmecs, they disappeared – gone before Europeans arrive

Olmec Influence on the Mayans Maize Ceremonial centers with temple pyramids Calendar based on the Olmec one Ball games Rituals involving human sacrifice