The Olmecs are the name of the tribe referred to in the Aztec historical chronicles. This name is rather arbitrary, it is given for one of the relatively small tribes living in the current territory of Mexico. It should be noted that the culture of the Olmecs and their level of development were at a fairly high level. This is confirmed by numerous artifacts found during archaeological excavations. The Olmec culture, interesting facts about them, their life and traditions will be discussed in the article.
Olmecs: who is it?
Before you begin to study the culture of the Olmecs, you should understand who they are. As mentioned earlier, the Olmecs are a conditional name for the peoples who became the creators of the first “largest” civilization in the territory where Mexico is currently located. Later, the peoples living here became the successors of the Olmec culture. The tribes of the founders of civilization lived in the central and southern regions of Mexico, in tropical valleys, where they obtained everything they needed. Now the Mexican states of Tabasco and Veracruz are located here.
The Olmec civilization and culture were at their peak from 1500 BC. e. until 400 BC e. Cultural pre-Olmec civilization existed from 2500 BC. e. until 1500 BC e. Olmecs became known in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, when researchers discovered traces of their civilization. It is assumed that they were related to the tribes living in Sokonusko and Mokaya.
Architecture and sculpture
Considering briefly the culture of the Olmecs, it is necessary to talk about the features of their architecture. The style of the buildings of this people is characterized by monolithic pillars of basalt in funerary buildings, as well as mosaic laying on ritual sites.
The sculptural works of the Olmecs differ from other cultures in that they clearly showed a desire to depict initially a person, and then the world around him. The majesty and breadth of the authors' plan is striking. It is impossible not to pay attention to the fact that the creators of the sculptures tried to portray emotions on their faces, convey the mood and character.
This is confirmed by exhibits found in San Lorenzo, La Vente and Tres Sapontes. The colossal heads carved from basalt amaze not only with their size, but also with their beauty.
First finds
In 1869, a note appeared in the notes of the Mexican Society of Statistics and Geography that an unusual sculpture was discovered on a sugar cane plantation. An interesting fact was that the find was not similar to those that had been discovered before. It was the head of an "African" made of stone. A drawing of the find was also attached to the record.
40 years later, near the city of San Andre Tuxtla, a local resident (Indian) discovered a small figurine of a priest made of jade. She was a figure of a man with a shaved head and as if "laughing" narrowed eyes. The lower part of the face was covered with a mask with a duck beak, and a feather cloak that imitated the folded wings of a bird covered the statuette's shoulders.
Learning Finds
This find eventually ended up at the US National Museum. Scientists who began its study, with great surprise, found that the columns of unusual dots and dashes that were carved on the figurine were nothing more than a Mayan calendar. The date depicted on it corresponded to 162 BC. e.
There has been heated debate among scientists due to the fact that the nearest city, inhabited by the ancient Mayan Indians (Komalkalko), was located whiter than 160 miles east of the find. But the most important thing is that the figurine was 130 years older than any other find from the territory of ancient Mayans.
Rubber country
The traditions of the Indians say that in those places where the figurine was discovered, the Olmec tribes inhabited. From the Aztec language, "Olmec" is translated as "resident of the rubber country." And the name comes from the word "olman" - "rubber country", "place of production of rubber."
Ancient Native American legends say that the Olmecs are the very first civilization among the peoples of Central America who lived in the south of the coast in the Gulf of Mexico.
Discovery of civilization
The discovery of the Olmec civilization and culture occurred in 1909. During construction in the Mexican city of Nekai (Puebla), a US engineer stumbled upon an ancient pyramid. A jaguar figurine made of jade was discovered in it. It was later acquired by the Historical Museum of New York.
It was this jade jaguar that helped the scientist D.K. Vayan discover the civilization and culture of the Olmecs. The features of the figurine clearly distinguished it against the background of all artifacts belonging to the ancient Mayans. She was sharply distinguished by her plasticity and style. Subsequently, this jade jaguar became the starting point, determining the discovery of the civilization of the ancient people.
Olmec art culture
In mid-1966, Carlo Gay, an amateur archaeologist, explored the rocky hills along the Papagayo River, in the Mexican state of Guerrero, and literally stumbled upon a large cave. In it, he found traces of ancient unique murals.
Despite the fact that Carlo lacked special knowledge and the necessary experience, he was immediately able to determine that this is a very important find. It was one of the oldest art galleries ever found in Mexico.
The found object was given the name Hustlauak Cave. This is a long chain of underground galleries that have been cut through in soft rock. Murals strike with their extraordinary beauty and show an unusual style in the image of various objects. The first gallery of the cave was called the "Hall of Death." It should be noted that today access to some rooms is quite problematic.
Pyramid in La Venta
In the 1950s, in Mexico, in the state of Tabasco, a whole group of artificially created pyramid hills was discovered, later called "Complex A". Here, almost immediately began to conduct large-scale excavations. The largest object here is the "Great Pyramid", so named because of its size. It reaches a height of as much as 33 meters.
The pyramids were built of clay, and on top they were lined with a mortar, which has the strength of cement. For a long period, scientists could not find out the true dimensions of this gigantic structure, since the pyramid was hidden by dense thickets of the jungle. Researchers were firmly convinced that the structure has a quadrangular shape, like the pyramids discovered in Egypt, only with a truncated top. However, in 1968 it was discovered that the building is a cone, which has several unusual protrusions in the form of "petals".
Scientists explained this by the fact that the extinct volcanoes located nearby in the Tustla mountains looked like this. As you can see, the peculiarity of the Olmec culture was expressed not only in the style of making the figurines, but also in the construction of the pyramids. As the Indians believed, the gods of fire and earthly wealth lived in volcanoes. That is why the pyramids have such an unusual shape. Researchers found that the volume of the building is 4700 m 3 , and 800 thousand man-days were needed to erect it. In other words, this gigantic pyramid required a tremendous amount of time and labor in order to build it.
Stone people and steles
In 1995, researchers discovered an unusual platform, dismantling which they found a deep and narrow pit. At its bottom were 16 small stone figures. This composition was a definite action. 15 figures of men were made of granite and processed quite roughly, and the 16th was created from jade. In terms of composition, she stands apart, and the rest are exposed around her.
Figurines have features inherent in all products of the Olmecs - puffy lips, a flat nose and an elongated shape of the head. As the scientists explain, this composition depicts people gathered around the priest during the ritual.
A 4.5 meter high stele was also found, made of granite and weighing as much as 50 tons. The stele is carved by people who perform an action that scientists still cannot explain. The characters depicted are significantly different from each other. One has characteristic Native American features, but the second is rather Caucasian. This find asked more questions than it answered researchers who are still trying to solve this riddle.
In everyday life, the Olmec culture was the same as that of their descendants. They created various statuettes, sculptures, steles some of which have survived to this day. They were engaged in agriculture, growing potatoes, maize and other crops. It should be noted that the Olmecs were skillful hunters. To get any beast, they did not just chase him, but drove him into a specially prepared trap.
Also, the Olmecs were competent builders, their buildings were not only solid, but also erected in accordance with all the rules that are followed today. The accuracy of the calculations makes scientists wonder how they managed to create voluminous structures, they still cannot explain.
It should be recognized that this unique civilization, which had a written language, owns a variety of crafts, amazing architectural skills and culture, and is now striking in its scale and mystery.