The Olmecs

Before the civilization of the Mayans and the Aztecs, there lived the Olmecs. The Olmecs were not valiant as the Aztecs, nor defenseless as the Mayans, but they were both: a mixture of intellects and soldiers. The Olmecs, also known as rubber people, were "considered by some to be the mother culture of pre-Hispanic Mexico, [who] venerated the jaguar as super natural" (Kenny, 1). By having these qualities of being intellects and soldiers, the Olmecs developed advance agricultural techniques, art, writing, religious ceremonial places, and hierarchical political structure and society. These and many other features influenced and traits were adapted by later civilizations, mainly the Mayans and the Aztecs.

Civilization began to emerge in the region called Mesoamerica between 1200 and 900 BC. The Olmecs were the earliest civilization in the Gulf Coast region of southern Mexico, Vera Cruz and Tabasco. The three major areas where the civilization flourished were La Venta, San Lorenzo, and Tres Zapotes.

Furthermore, Olmecs society was simple and agricultural. "It was essentially divided into two groups: the elite group lived in the small urban centers (towns, really) and the common people lived in the rural areas" (Hooker, 1). It can be infer that there existed a class system, but there weren’t any conflicts since the elite class wasn’t cruel to the lower class. "The elite lived off of the agriculture of the common people, but they probably didn’t rule over the agricultural population" (Hooker, 1)—so that there was probably harmony between both classes.

Besides being agriculturists, the Olmecs were artist, astronomers, mathematicians, writers, and so on. Olmec art depicted fine pottery and jaded jewelry and figures. The most incredible Olmec art form was the stone heads and sculptures. "The Olmecs used wood, basalt and jade to make the statues. The wooden artifacts are said to be the oldest in Mesoamerica" (Crystal, 6). The stone heads could be kings, sportsmen or warriors. "The Olmec used art to glorify rulers by making them monuments of supernatural creatures" (Crystal, 6). In addition, the Olmecs developed the calendar system that later was adapted by Mayans and the Aztecs. "The Olmecs were apparently the first Mesoamerican people to fathom the concept of zero, develop a calendar, and create a hieroglyphic writing system. Also, they are credited for the discovery of the first conduit drainage system known in the Americas. These intellectual achievements, along with Olmec myths and rituals, were influential in the subsequent Maya, Zapotec, Mixtec and Aztec cultures" (Kenny, 1). From here it can say that Mayans also adapted Olmecs’ hieroglyphic writing system, using dots and lines. The Aztecs adapted the advanced agricultural techniques and trading mechanisms that helped later cultures in developing their societies.

Finally, even though Olmec civilization did not last for a long period, but their influence lasted throughout other civilizations. The Olmec ceremonial monuments were later develop by the Aztecs, and much more was adapted by other cultures, which shows that the Olmecs were "the first chain in the development of the Mesoamerican culture," and that from them all the techniques and mechanism of developing a society emerged. As one can see that this group has a great influence on other cultures, but Olmecs didn’t lived for a long period, and "around 300 BC, the Olmecs vanished" as they never lived in southern region of Mexico.

Miller, Robert Ryal. Mexico A History. University of Oklahoma Press: Norman, 1985.

Hooker, Richard. "The Olmecs." Civilizations in America. http://www.wsu.edu:8080/~dee/CIVAMRCA/OLMECS.HTM

Kenny. "The Olmecs." The Olmecs. http://www.ocf.berkeley.edu/~kennyk/Project/New/Olmecs.html

Crystal, Ellie. "Olmec Civilization." Crystalinks. http://www.crystalinks.com/olmec.html