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History of the Great Olmec Civilization
Written by Xiuhcoatl of AztlanRising.com
Introduction
Until recently the Olmec civilization was considered to be the mother culture of all Pre-Colombian
civilizations. The date of their origin is placed between 1200 and 1500
BCE, but it is argued by some that they began building their civilization before 3000 BCE.
Their society was highly-advanced. The Olmec's architectural achievements are
superior in some ways even to modern architecture. They were the first
group in the Americas to develop a written language. Very little is known
about this great culture, so most of their history is based on
the study of artifacts, which cannot even begin to tell their story. The Olmecs'
history & ethnicity has been a subject of great controversy since
their culture was re-discovered in the 19th Century near the Gulf of
Mexico.
Olmec Beginnings
The
great Olmec
civilization emerged in South Central Mexico somewhere between 5,000
and 3,500 years ago. Radiocarbon dating places them before 1500 BCE,
but many historians believe their society reached as far back as 3000
BCE. They supposedly called themselves the Xi, but little is known
about their oral communication, so such ideas are only speculative. The
definition of Olmec is either “mouth of the jaguar” or “the
rubber people,” the latter which was earned because of their discovery
of natural rubber over 3,000 years ago.
Olmec Rubber The
first European contact with rubber came when Christopher Columbus got
lost in the Pacific and invaded modern-day Haiti. The indigenous people
of modern times used rubber to play the ball game known to the Nahua
people as tlachtli,
as the Olmecs did thousands of years
earlier. Ancient Mexicans are the originators of ball games and team
sports. Europeans did not learn how to use rubber properly until the
18th century. But many racist historians do not believe that
discoveries of this
magnitude are proof of an advanced civilization.
Olmec Domain The
Olmecs were the supreme power from 1200 BCE to 800 BCE in the areas of
the tropical coastal plains of modern-day Veracruz and Tabasco, but
their influence reached as far as Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Belize, and
Costa Rica. Their realm extended from the Tuxtla Mountains in the west
to the Chontalpa Lowlands in the east. Archaeologists suggest that
their civilization was probably around 350,000 strong. There exist over
170 Olmec monuments in the various regions of their empire: 38% at La
Venta, Tabasco, 30% in San Lorenzo, Tenochtitlan, Veracruz, and 12% at
Laguna de Los Cerros, Veracruz.
Olmec Trade The
Olmec leaders situated the power centers of the empire from east to
west in order to maintain order and exploit the natural resources
produced in the distinct ecosystems of their dominion. In La Venta
there was cacao, rubber & salt. In San Lorenzo there were
floodplains & a river line trade route to make traveling and
trading more efficient. In Laguna de Los Cerros, which was bordering
the Tuxtla Mountains, there was a reserve of basalt. The natural
resources of the diverse environments provided materials and goods used
for architecture, art, weapons, and trade.
Mother Civilization The
Olmecs were long believed to be the first of the North American
civilizations to establish a complex society. However, recent studies
show that other civilizations during the same time period also engaged
in practices reserved for "civilized" people, such as pottery. It is
not likely that their influence was as profound on South America as was
previously believed, since a recent discovery places a highly advanced
civilization (Caral) in Brazil prior to 3,000 BCE, around the same time
as the advent of the Egyptian civilization.
Olmec Society & Cities
Olmec
society was based on kinship. Their cities were densely populated (for
that time) with an average of 50 people per square mile. The urban
centers of the Olmecs housed artisans, religious men, and to a lesser
extent, peasants. Although La Venta is only two square miles it was a
major area for living and worshipping. The pyramid at La Venta was once
thought to be a normal Mexican pyramid with a quadrangular base and a
flat top, but once all the vegetation was removed, it was found to have
a cone top. It is rather small in comparison to other Mexican pyramids.
Heizer, a researcher, believed that Los Tuxtlas may have been a
previous settlement of the Olmec people, and that the pyramid was
created with a cone top to resemble the volcano they once lived by. In
the center of La Venta was a ceremonial court used for conducting
religious ceremonies, as well as tombs to honor the dead. One of their
burial practices included placing bodies in a large sandstone
sarcophagus and placing greenstone, figures, jewelry and celt with the
body.
In San Lorenzo the Olmecs created ceremonial
buildings, elite residences and a house for commoners. This proved that
people from all walks of life lived in towns. It is not likely that the
spiritual leaders, who were certainly the most revered of all Olmecs,
ruled over the peasants. It is more likely that they carried out
religious ceremonies and conducted trade with other tribes. Their trade
goods included produce grown by commoners, natural resources, artwork
and pottery.
Olmec Economy The
Olmecs had a strong economy that employed advanced agricultural
techniques. Over three-fifths (3/5ths) of the world’s produce was first
cultivated in the Western Hemisphere, with over ½ originating in
modern-day Mexico. The Native Americans cultivated the lands with their
sophisticated practices, including a form of genetic
manipulation that led to the production of the most extensive variety
of plants in the world. The development of corn by means of genetic manipulation is considered by the journal Science to be "man's first, and perhaps the greatest, feat of genetic engineering."
Gourds were the first known plant to be
domesticated by the Olmecs. Then was the domestication of beans,
squash, peppers, avocados, cotton & corn, their chief crop. Their
diet was supplemented with fish & shellfish. As with
many economies around the world prior to the technological advancements
of the last few centuries, the bulk of society tended the fields.
Contrary to popular belief, there is no proof that the Olmecs, or any
other society in Ixachilan, practiced cannibalism on a grand scale. In
fact, Native Mexicans have been eating tamales and other dishes since
before 5000 BCE; that’s over 7,000 years ago. The majority of European
cuisine is rather recent and makes use of mostly Mexican produce.
Olmec Architecture The
most recognized faculty of the Olmec civilization is their
architectural brilliance. They are credited with constructing many
magnificent structures, including the world’s most massive pyramid at
La Venta, which is 459 feet in diameter. They were built of mud and
earth. Modern architects barely surpassed the expertise of the Olmecs,
who created pyramids over 3,000 years ago, in the last several decades.
However, they are still the first to admit that they could not recreate
these spectacular structures. In 900 BCE earthen platforms were
constructed around pyramids to create
cities. Some of these platforms had homes built on them. These
highly-advanced people constructed a stone drain system that ran to
different settlements. Their plumbing system carried water for
drinking, showers, baths, toilets and irrigation thousands of years
before Europeans even began to bathe.
Olmec Writing The
Olmecs are considered to be the first civilization in Ixachilan to
create a written language. Their first known script dates back to over
2,600 years ago, but they probably established characters for writing
long before this date. They had a syllabic language system (900 BCE –
450 CE) and hieroglyphic script. They wrote in pure hieroglyphics,
phonetic hieroglyphics, syllables & logographic signs. Some
nutcases suggest
that their script is from the Vai people of West Africa, but there is
no proof to support these assertions.
Many historians
attempt to discredit the civilizations of the “Americas” by claiming
that they had no written language, or that their writing was not “true”
or “pure.” These criticisms arise from utter jealousy. It has been
established that the Latin alphabet, which is used in both English and
Spanish, was stolen from the Greeks, who adopted the writing system
of the Phoenicians, who were influenced by Egyptian hieroglyphics,
which are comparable to Olmec glyphs. The Anglo-Saxons did not adopt
the system until 700 AD.
Olmec Speech The
spoken language of the Olmecs was probably analogous to the Mixe and
Zoque native Mexican dialects, but some claim it is similar to Manding,
a West African language. Of course, there is no genuine evidence to
back these claims. Others believe the language was a Mayans/Huastecs
mix.
Olmec Calendar The
Olmecs created a complex calendar system that is far more accurate than
the Gregorian calendar. In it, 1 Olmec calendar year is equal to 52
calendar years. They also invented the bar and dot system of math and
telling time. This is known as the long count calendar. In this system
a bar is equal to 5, a dot equal to 1, and a special glyph is equal to
0.
Olmec Theology Olmec
theology is difficult to comprehend because so little is known about
their society. Some historians believe that the Olmecs claimed they
descended from the jaguar. They glorified their rulers with spectacular
monuments, and sometimes portrayed them as
were-jaguars. The were-jaguar is the embodiment of perfection, that
which combines the superior human quality of intelligence, and the
inborn feline strength and prowess of the jaguar.
The Olmecs worshipped
divine powers, but did not likely have gods. Europeans to this day are
still unable to comprehend that a supreme energy is not the same as a
God. The main "God" was a jaguar, or a jaguar-serpent hybrid. The
jaguar is representative of Mother Earth, and the Serpent dominates the
water. This mighty combination symbolized supremacy over all things
terrestrial and celestial. The jaguar was considered to be the most
powerful of all beings, the avatar of the living and the dead, and also
the fertility deity. The Olmecs had as many as 10 supreme powers,
including that of corn, fire, rain, and Quetzalcoatl, the plumed
serpent.
The image of the Olmec story of creation dates
back to 900 BCE. It depicts a “world tree” sprouting out of Creation
Mountain. The Olmec’s stela from Izapa shows that they may have
believed in the Tree of Life. The tree possesses 7 branches and 12
roots. Although nobody knows what the branches signify, they may
represent the clans of the Olmec civilization, and the roots the number
of migrations to the established territory.
Olmec Art The
artwork of the Olmecs was highly stylized and naturalistic. They made
ceramics, wove cloth of cotton and fibers, made baskets, mats, and
polished stone. They carved stelae, freestanding jade sculptures, and
basalt sculptures. The Olmecs were known for engraving on pottery and
other art, including altars. Altars were used as the thrones of rulers.
The ruler was identified on the altar in carving. The jaguar and
were-jaguar were presented in many artworks. The Jaguar child, a piece
of Olmec art, is known for the slanted eyes and curved mouth that is
formed similar to the jaguar. Eagle spirit, another important piece,
has an eagle-like mouth, curved eyes and bushy brows. It is believed
that they practiced monument mutilation, perhaps religiously.
Colossal
heads of helmeted men with thick lips, wide noses, and epicanthic folds
were found in Mexico which led many injudicious people to believe that
the Olmec civilization came from Africa. The first head was discovered
in Veracruz in 1862. They were originally altars and were later carved
into the heads. Some believe the huge basalt sculptures were
ballplayers. Others feel they may have been sacrificial offering,
ancestors, warriors, or rulers. These heads, which were up to 10 feet
tall and weighed up to 40 tons, were found as far as 60 miles from the
source of basalt, which means they were exceptionally effective in
transporting heavy objects. The source of basalt was in Llano del
Jicaro, near Tuxtla.
The original inhabitants of
Cambodia and the Phillipines also had wide noses and thick lips, as do
the current residents of these places, so many believe there was
another migration before the Northern Asian one to the Western
Hemisphere. For some reason they fail to see that many natives to this
day, including those who inhabit the Olmec region, still exhibit these
traits. Though DNA tests are not as reliable as one would hope, they
have not found any African DNA in these indigenous people.
Olmec Leaders Not
much information is available about Olmec leaders, but two have been
discerned. Po Ngbe was the founder of the B’aakal Dynasty at Palenque,
which lasted from 900-600 BCE. Yo Pe was the ruler at Mojarra in the
2nd Century BCE.
Decline of the Olmecs The
Olmecs declined between 800 BCE and 400 BCE with the formation of the
Maya in the East, Zapotec in the Southwest, and Teotihuacan in the
West. San Lorenzo and La Venta lost importance due to changes in
the river system, but Laguna de Los Cerros continued to thrive after
500 BCE. Relatively little is known about the Olmec situation between
500 BCE and 300 BCE, so the causes for the fall of the civilization are
shrouded in mystery. |
History 
