When it comes to the ancient civilizations in the Americas, well the Amerindians like the Anasazi at Mesa Verde come to mind; even more so the Aztecs, the Incas, and the Mayans. But perhaps the most interesting of all, a culture that normally registers on the peripheral vision of our knowledge of all things Mesoamerican, is that of the Olmecs. Olmec society, civilization and culture is famous for several things: their mysterious origins and demise; their obsession with jade; their cult of the Were-Jaguar; and last, but not least, those monumental ‘African’ stone head carvings.
Once upon a time, some 3300 years or so before you were conceived of in anyone’s philosophy, a motley band of nomads that had many generations previously crossed over into North America from Asia at the height of the last Ice Age, found their way into what’s today known as the tropical lowlands of the eastern coastal region of Mexico New World – the Olmecs. They are classified by scholars as inhabiting the Middle Pre-Classic Period of the America
OLMEC BASICS
The Olmecs were the first of the great Mesoamerican civilizations, sometimes referred to as the Mother of all subsequent Mesoamerican civilizations.
They survived, even thrived from roughly 1200 BC to about 400 BC in the southern Gulf Coast area of Mexico , in an area now referred to as the states of Veracruz and Tabasco
OLMEC POPULATION CENTRES
Though the Olmecs were primarily an agricultural society (we all have to eat), they did construct various high density metropolitan population centers, actually more ritual-based politico-religious centers, all with massive monuments including pyramids. The trilogy of those major centers were
*San Lorenzo (approximately 1200 – 900 BC). That site was eventually abandoned and they moved to La Venta, though there’s probably some degree of overlap between the two.
*La Venta (approximately 900 – 400 BC). This is the Olmec site best known and documented. It was actually on an island located within the Tonala River Mexico City
*Tres Zapotes (approximately 900 BC). The 900 BC date is again a beginnings coinciding with the decline of San Lorenzo . There’s no termination date because other cultures inhabited the site after the Olmec civilization went the way of the dodo.
Sometimes there’s also a mention of Laguna de les Cerros as a major Olmec site.
These Olmec politico-religious sites were built under their rulers on a grand enough scale that one can draw parallels with ancient Egyptian monuments under their pharaohs. In other words, Olmec ‘cities’ were impressive for the times.
OLMEC PEOPLE
The Olmecs were named “The Olmecs” actually by the Aztecs as “People of the land of the rubber trees”. Though named by the Aztecs, the Aztecs didn’t appear on the horizon till some 1400 years later on down the track. So their “Olmecs” were as much an enigma wrapped up in a mystery to them as the Olmecs remain and are to us, as we shall see.
The Olmecs did those normal everyday things you associate with nearly any ancient civilization – farm the land, build the buildings, engage in warfare, played ball games, practiced their religion with religious ceremonies that apparently included human sacrifices and bloodletting, in this case to their Jaguar-God and other deities.
All these activities were accomplished by the way without the wheel or any beasts of burden.
One question immediately springs to mind. Where did they come from? They certainly appeared very suddenly all wrapped up in a civilized box as a major culture. The next most obvious question is where did they disappear to since there’s no longer any ethnic group of people on Planet Earth we can call Olmecs? They disappeared from the scene just as quickly as they initially appeared. It appears as it they just melted away into surrounding areas, abandoning their ritual centres and settlements and way of life, losing all touch for all time with their unique identity. That said, it’s also obvious that these people’s culture certainly had a major influence on other Mesoamerican societies that followed like the Maya.
As to why the Olmec civilization collapsed, well the cause isn’t known, and scholars have speculated perhaps this and perhaps that and perhaps the next thing. Your guess at this stage is probably equally as valid. But whatever caused their demise, it happened very quickly.
OLMEC BODIES
Apart from just a very few human remains that have been found – just the bones from two, maybe three young individuals - if any major discoveries of bodies (skeletons, corpses or mummies), found in graves, tombs or cemeteries and connected with the Olmec civilization have been made, I’m unaware of them. There is on record a stone burial chamber, a sarcophagus and basalt tombs, but apparently no bodies. That alone is fairly anomalous when it comes down to putting a human face on an ancient culture – think of those Egyptian mummies, or those bog corpses oft discovered in northern Europe. Without skulls you can’t do forensic facial reconstructions to get an idea of what these people looked like. Without skeletons you’ve little idea of their average size and general state of health and fitness – what sorts of diseases and injuries might have been commonplace.
Also lacking are all those favourite remains that tell archaeologists so much about the life and times of a society – garbage dumps. There are no associated kitchen middens or refuse sites that have been located and excavated.
To be continued…
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