The Olmec & Andean Proto-cultures What is a proto-culture? It’s a culture that predates and influences a later one, the term is usually applied when we have only limited evidence about its characteristics and way of life. It is a way of saying that while we have some ideas about what it was probably like, we don’t really know for sure. The Roots of Ancient Central and South American Civilization

Who Were the Olmec? The Olmec were a civilization that flourished between 1200 BCE and 400 BCE in the Southern Gulf Lowlands of Mexico They are considered by many to be a proto-civilization – a precursor to later similar cultures like the Maya and Aztec. The timeline – Point out the timeline to students especially the different period in which the olmecs, maya and aztec flourished as well as the other cultures in mesoamerica The Map – Shows the Olmec core and influence area, it was a lowland area with relatively rich farmland (present day states of Tobasco and Veracruz). They lived around rivers and their diet and daily activities consisted of slash and burn farming (Maize, cacao, squash, tomatoes, bean, sweet potato, cotton, manioc) gathering (tropical fruits, nuts) and fishing, corn was the main staple of their diet.

Where did the Olmec Come From? Most of what we know from the Olmec civilization is derived from archaeology. Few written records survive. While most historians believe that the Olmec were an indigenous American civilization, some have speculated that the Olmec culture was an offshoot of a powerful seafaring African or Hindu culture. Their main evidence is the claim that the statues produced by the Olmec have characteristically African features Which argument do you think is most convincing? Why? - Students should be able to conclude that Occam’s razor applies. Evidence about features is circumstantial. No material evidence to suggest that African civilization visited the area. Also could mention the myth (largely rooted in colonial discourse of inferiority) that Aliens built the Inca, Mayan and Aztec pyramids (also the Egyptian).

How did the Olmec Influence Later Cultures? Many of the features of Maya and Aztec culture were likely adapted from the Olmec including: Urban planning and agricultural techniques Human and blood sacrifices Polytheistic religion Ballcourt goal at Chichen Itza (Wikipedia) Maya and Aztec shared similar diet, agricultural techniques Step pyramids similar, ball game of hitting a ball through a small hoop with your body, winners sacrificed (death or blood sacrifice), most accurate calendar in the world based on astronomical observations Some speculate that their social and legal structures may also have been an important influence but the evidence, like that for much of the Olmec culture, is scarce Early Olmec Calendar Tres Zapotes (wikipedia Step Pyramids at Tikal, Guatemala (Civilization.ca)

What About the Andean Protocultures At approximately the same time the Olmec civilization was emerging in present day Mexico, several Andean civilizations were experimenting with irrigated agriculture in the highlands and lowlands in present day Peru, Chile and Equador Much of what we know about the Incan proto civilizations comes from post-conquest accounts, archaeology and oral tradition, as the Inca had no written language that we know of, though they did store data using a knotted ropes called a quipu The Inca and the precursor cultures were expert masons building some of the most impressive stone buildings and infrastructure in the world Important Andean cites at Chavin and Huaca Prieta have given clues to Andean civilization prior to the Incan empire Quipu largely used to record statistical and numerical information, central to administration of large empires, can make mention of importance of Canadian census for governing Canada.

The Kingdom of Cusco The Inca would rule the largest empire in the pre-Columbian Americas and developed a complex and extremely effective system of government The Incas began as a kingdom centred in the city of Cusco around 1100C.E. The 40,000 or so Incans would conquer or absorb most of the other cultures in the Andes by the time the Spanish arrived in 1533 Map - Inca empire divided into four administrative units or provinces Chinchansuyu on the North coast, Cuntisuyu in the centre coastal area, Collasuyu on the Southern Coast and Antisuyu in the Andean interior. Machu Picchu: Road to the Sky