The Olmec

Location: Central Mexican Plateau

The First Major Civilization of the New World Possessed hieroglyphic writing, monumental stone carvings and architecture, and an early calendar system Used intensified agricultural practices such as slash-and-burn, and raised-field techniques involving levees and irrigation systems Controlled extensive trade routes that linked the city-states together allowing for the extension of their civilization and rapid population growth

The “Mother” of Mesoamerica The Olmecs are tentatively credited with many “firsts” in Mesoamerican culture: bloodletting, human sacrifice, writing (epigraphs), the use of zero (before the Mayans), the long-count calendar, and the ballgame Many archaeologists suggest that the Olmec deities carry over into the subsequent civilizations of Mesoamerica

Olmec sites are best recognized by massive stone head monumental carvings The heads measure anywhere from 5-11 ft. high to 5-7 ft. wide, weighing tons The heads are carved from single pieces of the lava rock basalt, which needed to be imported to the sites from far away Olmec Head Carvings

Deceiving Appearances The round faces, jowls, slanted eyes, and flat noses allude to the possible theory of African and/or Asiatic colonization via the Atlantic, rather than the land bridge Most Mesoamerican archaeologists discard this theory due to lack of physical evidence of an Atlantic journey, the fact that the carvings are ceremonial, not realistic in presentation, and the similar physical features found in all Mesoamerican peoples

The La Venta Pyramid; 110 ft. high, one of the oldest pyramids in the Americas

Downfall One theory suggests that the population growth was greater than the maximum yield of the land causing displacement of peoples and abandonment of the major sites New theories suggest volcanic activity and the silting of water sources also led to the abandonment of these sites due to lack of resources and volatile living conditions

Artwork and Archaeology This altar excavated at La Venta suggests child sacrifices (priest holding infant—a common theme in Olmec art) which is consistent with all Mesoamerican cultures

Serpentine Mosaics (Pavements) These “pavements” are sacrificial and were intended as offerings. These mosaics consisted of 500 polished blocks that represented figures, deities, and other animals. After completion, they were buried under layers of dirt to signify the offering as being received.

The Feathered-Serpent The oldest depiction of the feathered-serpent god in Mesoamerica. This deity will be most prominent within the Teotihuacan, Mayan, and Aztec religions.

Olmecs, Conclusion Olmec archaeology is in its infancy, beginning roughly in the 1960s—that’s a “young” science Since then, Olmec excavations and research is hindered by lack of preservation and severe damage to key sites. An oil refinery is built on La Venta making any further research next to impossible and has caused complete damage to most of the southern portion of the ruins