AKA most things.
As we cannot read the Olmecs writing, all of what we know comes from conjecture based of archaeological evidence, mostly art.
The main debate is over when they lived. And every site has a different time frame.
It's also unknown what they called themselves (Olmec is the anglicized form of Olmecatl, Nahuatl word for 'People of the land of rubber').
We know for sure they made heads. And grew maize. That's about it.
As we cannot read the Olmecs writing, all of what we know comes from conjecture based of archaeological evidence, mostly art.
The main debate is over when they lived. And every site has a different time frame.
It's also unknown what they called themselves (Olmec is the anglicized form of Olmecatl, Nahuatl word for 'People of the land of rubber').
We know for sure they made heads. And grew maize. That's about it.
My reflection on them:
The Olmecs are a Mesoamerican culture often regard as the cultra madre, or
mother culture. They have earned this title by being the first culture to have writing (in
glyphs), a calendar, planned cities, the ritual ball game (adopted by the Maya) and
formal social structure. They probably had either a theocratic monarchy or an oligarchy
with the priests. However, they did have some sort of structure with a small
(comparatively) group ruling over the rest. The Olmec themselves were also a
comparatively small group; however their influence was felt throughout Mesoamerica.
They accomplished this via trade, which was mostly centered with Teotihuacán. Their
main exports were jade and rubber, along with cacao beans, maize, shells, and other
things from the sea. As we cannot read Olmec glyphs, we know of no important people
nor events. In fact, we don’t know their name for themselves- ‘Olmec’ is the anglicized
Aztec name (originally Olmecatl, Nahautl for ‘people of the land of rubber (trees)’). The
main importance of the Olmec culture was what it passed on to others, not what it did.
One of the most recognizable features of the Olmecs is the giant heads,
which is why they’re on my first page. The heads weighed up to 40 tons and the basalt
from which they were quarried was 60 miles away, which they move without wheels or
animals. They were around all four of the major Olmec towns- La Venta, San Lorenzo,
Laguna de los Cerros, and Tres Zapotes. On the second page, we have all of the
things the Olmecs invented or developed first. I couldn’t find an accurate representation
of the social structure (as we don’t know what it was) nor a calendar (don’t believe one
has survived intact). The map of La Venta (second oldest Olmec city) shows its
organization. The ball game was probably of religious importance as well, given that it
was with the Maya, who adopted it from them. On the next page, we have religion. We
know that the Olmecs worshiped the were-jaguar (a human/jaguar hybrid) and that they
may have practiced sacrifice but beyond that there is a dearth of information (much like
the rest of the culture). Next, we have a page on trade. Trade was the main way in
which the Olmecs interacted with other cultures. We have all the main trade items of
rubber, jade, cacao, and shell on this page. The cacao beans were so valuable to the
Maya (and Aztecs but they weren’t there yet) that they were used as money. On the
final page, I put the postcards, because they provide a closer look at the culture as a
whole. Also, I think they’re funny.
While studying this culture, I’ve learned that it is totally and completely possible
to take 1 fact and stretch it to a page and a half. You are also able to take that same
fact and interpret it in a completely different way. There are some very interesting
theories that have no way of being proven, yet are hotly debated. For example, some
people claim that the Olmec heads have ‘Negroid’ features and therefore Africans
had to have come over to the Americas. Why let a lack of facts (and records) restrain
you? In fact very few things are agreed upon for the Olmecs, especially dates. But
when you do find something they agree on, it makes you happy. It’s the little things in
life you treasure. As such, I can’t decide whether or not I would like to experience the
culture. However, if I had the ability and was guaranteed a trip back to the present day
(which I very much like), I would like to see it, just for the ability to gain new information
and verify facts. Maybe even find out some names. A lofty goal, I know. I wouldn’t
want to spend too much time there though, because the Olmecs might have practiced
human sacrifice and ‘might have’ is a bit too ambiguous for me to enjoy spending any
prolonged amount of time there. I like living. Also, a glyph system would be hard to learn
and accurately translate. Overall, however, the Olmecs were a fascinating culture that
contributed much to the world we live in today.
The Olmecs are a Mesoamerican culture often regard as the cultra madre, or
mother culture. They have earned this title by being the first culture to have writing (in
glyphs), a calendar, planned cities, the ritual ball game (adopted by the Maya) and
formal social structure. They probably had either a theocratic monarchy or an oligarchy
with the priests. However, they did have some sort of structure with a small
(comparatively) group ruling over the rest. The Olmec themselves were also a
comparatively small group; however their influence was felt throughout Mesoamerica.
They accomplished this via trade, which was mostly centered with Teotihuacán. Their
main exports were jade and rubber, along with cacao beans, maize, shells, and other
things from the sea. As we cannot read Olmec glyphs, we know of no important people
nor events. In fact, we don’t know their name for themselves- ‘Olmec’ is the anglicized
Aztec name (originally Olmecatl, Nahautl for ‘people of the land of rubber (trees)’). The
main importance of the Olmec culture was what it passed on to others, not what it did.
One of the most recognizable features of the Olmecs is the giant heads,
which is why they’re on my first page. The heads weighed up to 40 tons and the basalt
from which they were quarried was 60 miles away, which they move without wheels or
animals. They were around all four of the major Olmec towns- La Venta, San Lorenzo,
Laguna de los Cerros, and Tres Zapotes. On the second page, we have all of the
things the Olmecs invented or developed first. I couldn’t find an accurate representation
of the social structure (as we don’t know what it was) nor a calendar (don’t believe one
has survived intact). The map of La Venta (second oldest Olmec city) shows its
organization. The ball game was probably of religious importance as well, given that it
was with the Maya, who adopted it from them. On the next page, we have religion. We
know that the Olmecs worshiped the were-jaguar (a human/jaguar hybrid) and that they
may have practiced sacrifice but beyond that there is a dearth of information (much like
the rest of the culture). Next, we have a page on trade. Trade was the main way in
which the Olmecs interacted with other cultures. We have all the main trade items of
rubber, jade, cacao, and shell on this page. The cacao beans were so valuable to the
Maya (and Aztecs but they weren’t there yet) that they were used as money. On the
final page, I put the postcards, because they provide a closer look at the culture as a
whole. Also, I think they’re funny.
While studying this culture, I’ve learned that it is totally and completely possible
to take 1 fact and stretch it to a page and a half. You are also able to take that same
fact and interpret it in a completely different way. There are some very interesting
theories that have no way of being proven, yet are hotly debated. For example, some
people claim that the Olmec heads have ‘Negroid’ features and therefore Africans
had to have come over to the Americas. Why let a lack of facts (and records) restrain
you? In fact very few things are agreed upon for the Olmecs, especially dates. But
when you do find something they agree on, it makes you happy. It’s the little things in
life you treasure. As such, I can’t decide whether or not I would like to experience the
culture. However, if I had the ability and was guaranteed a trip back to the present day
(which I very much like), I would like to see it, just for the ability to gain new information
and verify facts. Maybe even find out some names. A lofty goal, I know. I wouldn’t
want to spend too much time there though, because the Olmecs might have practiced
human sacrifice and ‘might have’ is a bit too ambiguous for me to enjoy spending any
prolonged amount of time there. I like living. Also, a glyph system would be hard to learn
and accurately translate. Overall, however, the Olmecs were a fascinating culture that
contributed much to the world we live in today.