The Olmecs lived in Mexico during the period from about 1200BC to about 800BC. According to some historians, the Olmecs came to Mexico from West Africa - the Saharan Region, some 3500years ago. Other historians attribute the Olmecs' ancestry to American Indians and possibly Asians. Nonetheless, the Olmecs established the first Mesoamerican civilization and their culture went on to influence many succeeding cultures in aspects pertaining to religion, language, and social class.
The Olmecs' civilization possessed a high degree of societal organization and class stratification. The following diagram outlines the hierarchical structure of the Olmecs' society.
Hierarchy of Olmec Civilisation.
Olmec Rulers .
Religious Priests.
Skilled Artisans, Traders, Wealthy Olmecs.
Common people - corn farmers, hunters, other farmers.
Apart from job-function, wealth and status also determined the division of social classes and the location of the various Olmec communities. For example, the wealthy Olmecs and those from the upper classes possessed elaborate houses, their burials contained jade trinkets and other symbols of rank and they resided in the larger towns and cities e.g. San Lorenzo and La Venta. The farming community however occupied the rural areas and countryside and their location facilitated the production of food for the sustenance of the urban Olmec population. The highly organized and stratified society enabled large building projects e.g. irrigation systems and other advances.
Women played an important role in the Olmec civilization. Clay figurines and stone carvings depicted the regality and importance of women in the Olmec culture. Some of the Olmec women were sky diviners', specializing in rainmaking. The sky-diviners' possessed a supernatural power that enabled them to obtain favourable rains from their gods for the Olmec farmers. The climatic conditions at certain periods caused a scarcity of rain and therefore rainmaking was in great demand, making sky-diviners' highly revered.
The Olmec culture began in approximately 1200 B.C., more than 1,500 years before the Maya's. ... This land produced 2 major harvests a year for the Olmecs. ... There is some dispute as to whether slaves were present in the Olmec society. ... Obsidian, jade, and iron ores were the most commonly imported items for the Olmec. ... The Olmec king kept his following using fear and superstition. ...
This genre of art derives from the "Olmec style" of the Gulf Coast. ... Are Olmec babies really about ten inches shorter then today's babies? ... Do Olmec parents put gages in baby's ears as soon as they come out of the womb? ... In conclusion, this effigy makes me wonder how the Olmec cared for their babies. ... That makes me wonder what the birth-death rate was in the Olmec culture. ...
Instead, many cultures existed at the same time in various parts of Mexico and Middle America (Mesoamerica), among them, the Olmecs, the Teotihuacans, the Maya, the Mixtecs, the Zapotecs, the Tarascans, the Totonacs and the Aztecs.The Olmecs were one of the earliest recorded civilisations living in the humid lowlands of southern Veracruz and Tabasco along the Gulf of Mexico. The word Olmec means 'the dweller in the land of rubber'. The Olmecs were great sculptors, and are most famous for their carvings of huge human heads made from boulders, some weighing as much as fifty tons.They...
Probably one of the most mysterious aspects of the Olmecs and Mayans was the ball game. ... The Mayans inherited the ball game from the Olmecs. The Olmecs were the first people to cultivate the rubber tree, which hints their name " people who use rubber." ... The first balls, rules and rituals for the game all began with the Olmecs around 3,000 years ago. ... This exciting, fast paced game of basketball, hackey sack, and soccer played with a rubber ball was a huge part of Olmec and Mayan society. ...
There were six key civilizations in Mexico; they were, The Olmecs, Teotihuacans, Toltecs, Mayans, Zapotec (Mixtec), and the Aztecs. Olmecs The Olmecs were the first culture established in Mexico. ... The Olmecs are said to have one of the most baffling cultures, because there is not much information on where thy came from or why they disappeared. The Olmecs lived between 1500 and600 BC, in the swampy lowlands of Tabasco and Veracruz. ...
There were six key civilizations in Mexico; they were, The Olmecs, Teotihuacans, Toltecs, Mayans, Zapotec (Mixtec), and the Aztecs. Olmecs The Olmecs were the first culture established in Mexico. ... The Olmecs are said to have one of the most baffling cultures, because there is not much information on where thy came from or why they disappeared. The Olmecs lived between 1500 and600 BC, in the swampy lowlands of Tabasco and Veracruz. ...
Early culture There are many accomplishments that I find remarkable from earlier cultures. The boats of ancient groups for travel. The bows and arrows, chiseled spearheads, & fish" nets for hunting. The woven baskets for gathering, all were technological advances and advantages for earlier peoples...
(p.203) The Olmecs, "the mother civilization of Mesoamerica- (p.205), developed cultural tradition, urbanism, complex religion, the beginning of writing, and so much more, influencing many expanding societies. ...
The Maya civilization seems to have been influenced by the Olmecs (people living in the south-central Mexico from about 1200b.c to about 800b.c). ... Although the Mayas came from the classic culture of the Olmecs, they developed their own character, which are believed to be nothing to the classic Mayas (www.crystalinks.com). ...