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Werejaguars and Giant Heads: The Olmec culture of
Meso-America
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“Mother culture” of Meso-American societies?
Ethnic/Culture group or cultural horizon?
Centers for political, trade or religious purposes?
Why does the culture “vanish?”
What is with the huge heads?
The Olmec Enigma…
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Name given by archaeologists
Comes from Aztec/Mexica name for an older culture◦ Referred to their harvest of rubber
from trees
Also : “Jaguar Mouth people”
Called themselves : Xi
Olmec = “rubber people” in Nahuatl
Rubber ball from Olmec site
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1400 BCE (abt 3500 yrs. ago) to 400 BCE (2400 y.a.)
170 monuments in Olmec ‘heartland’◦ 80% in the 3 largest centers: La Venta, San Lorenzo
and Laguna de los Cerros◦ 10% are large basalt heads (17 so far)
10 at San Lorenzo 4 at La Venta 2 at the Tres Zapotes 1 at Rancho la Cobata
#1(firsts)◦ Ritual centers◦ Ball courts◦ Math◦ Invention of “zero,” ◦ Calendar / “long count”
The Olmec by the Numbers
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Isthmus of Tehuantepec ◦ Tropical Lowland,
Southeast Mexico
◦ Modern States of Veracruz and
Tabasco
◦ River Basins Swampy lowland Volcanic soils
Tehuantepec= “Hill of the Jaguar”
Location
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Centers control specific resources◦ La Venta (eastern)
Coastal estuaries Cacao Rubber Salt
◦ San Lorenzo (central) Floodplain and basin of Coatzacoalos River Agricultural products
◦ Laguna de los Cerros (western;Tuxtlas Mts.) Basalt: sculpture, manos and metates (food processing
equip.)
Olmec Centers
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San Lorenzo Tenochtitlan- oldest (1400 BCE- 900 BCE) Really 3 sites: San Lorenzo Tenochtitlán, Potrero Nuevo and Loma del
Zapote
◦ Began as village, 1700 BCE Agriculture (corn) Fishing Hunting
◦ By 1250 BCE Olmec pottery Modification of natural mesa*
◦ 1250-1150 BCE Monument carving (basalt chips) Olmec black and white pottery
Beginnings
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1150-900 BCE◦ Earthen mounds and plaza◦ Elite residences◦ 8 heads and other monuments◦ Stone “Drain” system- Aqueducts
drinking water Some stones in system are monuments – sacred purpose too
Ball court at nearby site El Manati
New building stops abt. 900 BCE; Monuments destroyed 950 BCE*
◦ By the Olmec themselves
San Lorenzo
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Throne, not altar Priest ruler
depicted in niche
La Venta ‘altar’
Werejaguar Child : depicted as limp, being held by male figure
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900- 400 BCE Succeeds San Lorenzo Clay and earth pyramids,
platforms◦ “Great Pyramid”◦ Plazas, mosaics of greenstone
blocks Planned city
◦ Symmetrical layout of buildings
4 Stone heads Large # offerings- jade, magnetite
La Venta The Abuela figure, with bowl
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Figures w/ mix human/jaguar traits◦ depicted as
infants/children
Assoc. w/ jaguar rain/water god◦ Also with leadership
Werejaguars
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Similar images seen Ecuador, Peru (Chavin de Hauntar)
Related to Shamanic beliefs◦ Transformation?◦ Spirit guide
/protector (nagual)
Jaguar and spirituality
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Represent people who have variant of Down’s Syndrome
Represent genetic condition in the leading dynasty
Represent belief in a human/jaguar hybrid
No evidence in the population based on mortuary remains
Same leader appears with and without jaguar traits on diff. objects
No evidence of a “dynastic line”
Some of the objects aren’t werejaguars, but other spirits/ spirit creatures◦ Caiman◦ Toads◦ Feathered Serpents◦ Maize god
Interpretations / Counter.
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Settled about 1400 BCE
Regional center by 1200 BCE
100+ mounds 47 associated sites
◦ stone workshops◦ Villages
No complete stone heads
Laguna de los Cerros
Huehueteotl: “Old God” in Nahuatl- god of fire and hearth
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The Olmec Heads
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Past◦ Images of ball players (helmets)◦ Images of leaders who were ball
players◦ African or Chinese migration
Now:◦ Look like people of region◦ Glyphs on “helmet” name the
person depicted◦ Stones = stylized depictions or
memorial to leader ◦ No evidence migration of new
people
Interpretations
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Most Olmec live in villages◦ Farmers◦ Only elites in centers◦ Ctr. for trade, religious ceremonies etc.
Leadership = theocracy ◦ Shaman/priest/King◦ Chosen by strength spiritual power?
Thrones destroyed/recycled into heads on death of leader
Some heads made from thrones
Artisan class- specialized art work, trade goods◦ Supported by elite, trade
Everyday Life
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No “Disappearance”◦ Change in leadership, beliefs◦ Abandonment of centers
Smaller settlements remain No one sponsoring artists= no more monuments
What this means:
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◦ Spoke Mixe-Zoquean Clues from glyphs Still spoken in region
◦ Olmec pottery, art style show up all over Meso-Am. Some clearly trade Some local copying
◦ So: Olmec = ethnic/cultural group Influence, interaction (trade) through Meso-America Influence of religion
Diffusion of Maize growing techniques?
Later groups, such as Aztec, revered Olmec objects and curated them
Ethnic grp vs. culture horiz.?
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No ◦ “Sisterculture”◦ Maya writing system at same time/slightly ahead◦ Other cultures show complexity too.
Monument building as measure of civilization from Euro-centric/ethnocentric ideas.
Yes◦ Olmec Pantheon is basis for later Meso-American
religion◦ Ritual of bloodletting spreads to later cultures◦ Originate the ball game as central cultural
metaphor◦ Trade spread Olmec influence
Final Mystery: ‘Motherculture’?