Blog #2 - Let's Talk About: The Olmec

 Let's Talk About:  The Olmec 

Olmec head statue.
Photograph by Dea/M. Seemuller
From National Geographic Encyclopedia

 In this blog we'll learn about the Olmec culture, one of the oldest civilizations that flourished in part of the Mesoamerican region, in what is now Mexico. I'm here to tell you a little bit about what I learned from a video and an article related to this topic. 

        The episode is called "Kingdom of the Jaguar: The Olmecs", hosted by Jago Cooper, a specialist in the archeology of the Americas. It was produced by the BBC for the "Lost Kingdoms of Central America" program. Jago Cooper takes us to  declares about the Olmecs that “arising out of the tropical wetlands of southern Mexico, around 1200 BC they were one of the first civilizations of the Americas, they built the first pyramid and the first planned city” (Lost 00:39 – 00:50). He takes us through the jungles of southern Mexico to show us the ruins of the Olmec civilization, its main cities, its art and, to explain many other interesting things about the discoveries of this culture. In adittion, the article that I read, is titled "Venta, La (Tabasco, Mexico)", it is part of an encyclopedia called "Archeology of Ancient Mexico and Central America". The text is focused, as its name says, on the archaeological site of La Venta and establishes it as “one of the most important cities of the Olmec civilization and one of the clearest examples of complex societies in Middle America during the first millenium before the common era” (Gonzalez Lauck 798).       

Las Limas Monument (900-400 BC)
Photograph by DeAgostino Picure Library

        The video "Kingdom of the Jaguar: The Olmecs", shows the most relevant information and gives an overview of the Olmec civilization. The visit to San Lorenzo, which "was at the center of the earliest Olmec settlement" (Lost 08:36 - 08:50), was a place of approximately 700 hectares with a population of approximately 10,000 people, according to studies by various archaeologists. It also shows and explains some pieces of art such as the well known colossal heads, and many other sculptures and statues that reflect, to what is believed, the relationship between human beings and their sense of power and religion and the jaguar, an animal that it was represented in many of these. In the video, it is also explain to us how the social organization of the Olmecs is reflected in their architecture. Another remarkable aspect compared to the article, the video also tells us about the importance of the ball game and the use of rubber to make balls.

Offering 4 (900-400 BC)
Photograph by DeAgostino Picture Library

        On the other hand, the text "Venta, La (Tabasco, Mexico)" as mentioned above, is intended to analyze the archaeological site of "La Venta", the physical-geographic context and the potential of the place for agriculture and irrigation; the art work found in this place, its architecture, organization of the different complexes and their edifices. Archaeological studies have determined that "monumental sculptures had a specific function and were associated with particular kinds of buildings" (Gonzalez Lauck 800).

Site map of La Venta (redrawn by Barbara MacLeod from González Lauc 1994: Figure 6.6)
Archaeology of Ancient Mexico and Central America: An Encyclopedia, pp. 882.

        Despite having previously studied the Olmec civilization several times during elementary school, high school and even at the University, as part of the basic education of History in Mexico; Now that I am in this class, although there are still many mysteries and theories, I have a deeper perspective on the history of the Olmecs, their culture, art and an idea of the base of the development of their society with their possible political and religious beliefs. 

        One of the things that most caught my attention about the video is that I had never raised the idea that the Olmec ball game was so similar to soccer that we all know today and that it probably laid the foundation for such sport over time, as the presenter of the video said: "the legacy of the Olmec ball game can be seen today in modern Mexico, where the ritual of ball sport remains just as much. A part of society as it was 3000 years ago" (Lost  29:00 - 29:15). Finally, I found out that the Olmec were a very complex and sophisticated society and they probably influenced and consolidated another contemporary or subsequent Mesoamerican civilizations (Gonzalez Lauck 800).

      

Psssst....Here's a short video aboout the Mexico's Oldest Piramid found in La Venta. 

Works Cited

BBC. “Lost Kingdoms Of Central America: Kingdom Of The Jaguar The Olmecs.” YouTube, uploaded by FiveDigitCreature, 29 June 2017, www.youtube.com/watch?v=gTuab0SNuPA&ab_channel=FiveDigitCreature.

Gonzalez, Lauck. “Venta, La (Tabasco, Mexico).” Archaeology of Ancient Mexico and Central America: An Encyclopedia, 2000, pp. 798–802.

Megalithomania UK. "Olmec Earth Energies at La Venta Mexico's Oldest Pyramid." YouTube, uploaded by MegalithomaniaUK, 13 February, 2015,  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yHt5X4MOTPQ&ab_channel=MegalithomaniaUK

National Geographic Society. “Olmec Civilization.” National Geographic Society, 7 Aug. 2020, www.nationalgeographic.org/encyclopedia/olmec-civilization.

Pillsbury, Joanne. “The Sophisticated Sculptures of the Olmecs.” Apollo Magazine, 14 Oct. 2020, www.apollo-magazine.com/stone-cold-masterpieces-the-art-of-the-olmecs.