The Olmecs, the First Mesoamerican Civilization

Olmec Stone Head. Credit: Quite Peculiar, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

The Aztecs and the Mayans are the astir well-known Mesoamerican civilizations, but, successful fact, the Olmecs pre-existed them.

The Olmecs were the archetypal of the large Mesoamerican civilizations. They lived on modern-day Mexico’s Gulf seashore successful what is contiguous the states of Veracruz and Tabasco. The sanction Olmec, meaning rubber people, comes from the Aztec connection of Nahuatl.

The crushed down the sanction is that the Olmecs whitethorn person been the archetypal radical to beryllium capable to usage the latex of the rubber histrion for thing that could beryllium hardened. Unfortunately, historians cannot beryllium definite due to the fact that the Olmecs didn’t permission down overmuch penning extracurricular of immoderate graphs and glyphs.

The Olmecs archetypal appeared on Mexico’s Gulf seashore astir 1600 BC, but from astir 1600 BC to 1200 BC, they are known arsenic the pre-Olmec civilization. Once they settled in, the Olmecs thrived from astir 1200 BC to 400 BC. Post-Olmec societies besides exist, but they are abstracted from the epoch successful which they flourished for 8 100 years.

Today, the Olmecs are known for the massive chromatic heads they near behind. The statues are made of basalt, a volcanic rock, and measurement anyplace from 4 to eleven feet, depending connected the statue. Archaeologists person besides recovered grounds they were the archetypal to commencement the Mesoamerican ballgame, played with a coagulated rubber ball.

The Olmec radical and society

The Olmecs were prolific traders. They traded with different Mesoamerican civilizations, specified arsenic the Aztecs, and with settlements passim modern-day Mexico. Evidence suggests they traded tiny figurines and masks, among different things, and received indispensable materials specified arsenic cacao and salt.

Their civilization thrived due to the fact that of their extended commercialized networks. The Olmecs cemented themselves arsenic a powerfulness on the seashore and arsenic a genitor civilization for the aboriginal Mesoamerican civilizations.

Being a coastal civilization, they were besides fond of fishing. While the deficiency of writings near down means archaeologists and historians person to portion unneurotic what they can, it is wide they were a polytheistic nine worshipping 8 androgynous gods. Among their gods is the feathered serpent, whom the Aztecs would besides worship erstwhile they arrived.

San Lorenzo and La Venta

From astir 1200 to 900 BC, San Lorenzo thrived arsenic 1 of the top cities successful Mesoamerica. No 1 knows what the Olmecs called San Lorenzo, but this is the sanction that it has been given. Archaeologists person recovered galore caput statues and figures here, which has been cardinal to giving them a glimpse into the Olmec civilization.

La Venta, not its archetypal sanction either, was the metropolis that took implicit San Lorenzo’s spot arsenic the cardinal metropolis successful Olmec civilization. It was a monolithic metropolis for its clip and perchance housed thousands of people. Thrones, the astir salient chromatic heads, and different captious creation pieces person been recovered successful La Venta.

Olmec Art

The Olmecs were known for their art. In summation to creating immense chromatic caput statues, they sculpted anthropomorphic figures from jade, clay, basalt, and greenstone. The caput statues were made of basalt, but the anthropomorphic figures were made of different materials.

The caput statues day backmost to astir 900 BC and are each successful the signifier of men with defined cheekbones. The statues are besides cross-eyed, and immoderate figures person cleft chins. Historians and archaeologists speculate that the statues could person depicted the antithetic rulers of the civilization.

The autumn of the Olmecs

The downfall of this unthinkable coastal civilization is simply a mystery. However, determination are immoderate speculations pertaining to this. Archaeologists believe the Olmecs’ downfall tin beryllium attributed to an biology alteration that drastically lowered the h2o supply. This perchance affected irrigation, leaving radical without drinkable water.

There is besides a mentation that abrupt volcanic eruptions catalyzed the civilization’s dispersal passim modern-day Mexico. Volcanos erupting successful the country could person blanketed their cities successful ash and volcanic debris, forcing them to caller determination connected to caller lands.