The colossal stone heads are 14 large stone structures, with heights varying between 5 to 12 feet, weighing between 5 to 50 tons, and sculpted from basalt. The first stone structure was founded at Tres Zapotes in the nineteenth century and sparked an archeological investigation leaded by Matthew Sterling in 1938. All of the structures depict men with general facial features that were common during the time among the Olmecs. These heads were transported over long distances, requiring a great deal of human labor to transport them, although the method by which the Olmecs did so still remains a…
Between 700 B.C. and A.D. 1500, several sophisticated native civilizations developed across Mesoamerica, beginning with the Olmecs,…
accomplishments of the Olmec that were taken into other societies such as a writing system…
23. In what ways do the Olmec heads represent to Olmec…
The role of the physical environment in the development of early civilization in Mesopotamia, Egypt, and the Indus Valley led to societies flourishing, construction of complex buildings, and the development of a set of belief systems.…
It’s located in Mesoamerica which is one of the most impressive early civilizations. The King’s Power was used to make people build large scale irrigation and drainage works, and by the 1000 B.C.E, they have become a civilization. In addition to the geological isolation, Olmec have frequent volcanic eruptions and earth quakes, and mountains that separate the region into micro environments. Evolution developed into urbanization and appearance of powerful political and religious elites. The people were very advanced for their time; they made the calendar and based their urban centers to reflect astronomical observations. The Olmec civilization influenced the Mayans and considered the most influential earliest Mesoamerican…
The Olmec civilization, which flourished in eastern Mexico from about 1300 to 400 B.C., was probably the forerunner of several other Central American civilizations, Such as, the Toltec, Aztec, and Maya. The Olmec practiced advanced agricultural methods, but they were also accomplished engineers. For example one of their gifts to posterity is a group of sculpted stone heads, each weighing more than 20 tons. Although the purpose of these monuments is not fully understood they attest to the artistic and technical skills of a people living in the Americas some 2,500 years before Columbus. Even more interesting is the fact that like the ancient Egyptians the Olmec developed a sophisticated method of writing based on their own hieroglyphics. Strangely…
These significant Olmec cave paintings unveil aspects regarding Olmec life and their cultures. It appears that the Olmec connected religious beliefs to caverns. It is assumed by the cave paintings and ceramics found in various locations were made and used for spiritual and ritual purposes. It only makes sense caves would be an ideal location to perform ritualistic practices because ancient Mesoamericans believed these were the entrances to the underworld.…
Many hollowed out ceramic sculptures of babies have been found in numerous Olmec regions, which supports the theory that infancy is central to Olmec culture. For example, the figurine in figure 2 seems to depict a seated baby with its thumb in its mouth. The Olmecs may have used these figurines in the hopes that they would emit some sort of gestational life force. There are also many Olmec works of art where chiefs appear to be cradling babies, as shown in figure 3. There is a possibility that these babies were thought to have their own transformational powers, serving as an intermediary between humans and the supernatural (Blomster 1998).…
Modern real estate emphasizes the importance of location. As the first civilizations emerged thousands of years ago, the significance of locality was no different. Societies that made the transition from nomadic, hunter-gatherer groups to agricultural communities depended on having an abundance of natural resources to sustain larger, more condensed populations. Citizens of these early civilizations were at the mercy of their surrounding environment, as it was often their main or only source of sustenance.…
The great Aztecs were very intelligent, and made many cultural achievements. First of all, they adapted to the marshy Lake Texcoco by creating artificial islands called ‘chinampas’ and bridges over the water called ‘causeways’. As for crops, they created a 365 day calendar so they could plan planting, harvesting, and watering. Plus, they enjoyed music, dance, poetry, and sculpture. Perhaps their greatest achievement was their stone temples. With great height, and innovation, the Aztecs are known for their great buildings.…
The Olmec culture is one of the oldest cultures in Mesoamerica. The Olmecs were known as one of the oldest cultures, as well as, the mother culture of Mesoamerican cultures and were estimated to be around from 1000 to 500 BC. The name Olmec comes from the Mexica cultures that came after. It was not the name that the people…
The Olmec civilization thrived from c. 1500 BC to 400 BC, in the modern day Mexican states of Veracruz and Tabasco. Due to lack of archaeological evidence, the Olmec’s origin of ethnic identity is unknown. There is such a lack of knowledge that researchers still are unaware of the name this group of people referred to themselves as. The title Olmec comes from, ‘Olmec-Xicalanca, which is the name of the multi-lingual traders of the Conquest Era, from the same region, and the name has stuck through the murky beginnings of unearthing this early Mesoamerican civilization. As archaeologists continue to discover more on the Olmec’s, it is becoming much more apparent that later Mesoamerican civilizations, such as the Mayans and Aztecs, learned and…
of pyramids» in Teotihuacan, an urban centre, which started out as Olmec. The Temple of the Inscriptions…
of California press, 1999). David focuses on the bones of the Maya people throughout the…