The Olmec are probably best known for the statues they carved: 20 ton stone heads, quarried and carved to commemorate their rulers. The name Olmec is an Aztec word meaning the
rubber people
; the Olmec made and traded rubber throughout Mesoamerica.
What did the Olmec cut from volcanic stone?
The most famous Olmec artifacts are 17 colossal stone heads, presumed to have been carved between 1200 B.C. and 900 B.C. Cut from blocks of
volcanic basalt
, the heads, which range in height from 5 ft. to 11 ft. and weigh as much as 20 tons, are generally thought to be portraits of rulers.
What did the Olmec mostly carve in?
All seventeen of the confirmed heads in the Olmec heartland were sculpted from
basalt
mined in the Sierra de los Tuxtlas mountains of Veracruz. Most were formed from coarse grained dark grey basalt known as Cerro Cintepec basalt after a volcano in the range.
What was the purpose of Olmec heads?
Indeed, Almere Read (41) suggests that even the Olmecs themselves regularly moved the heads around for different ritual purposes. Another theory is that the heads were used
as powerful markers of rulership and distributed to declare political dominance in various territories
.
Did Olmec heads have bodies?
No accompanying torsos or bodies have ever been found
so it is widely believed that the Olmec heads were created as stand-alone carvings.
Are the Olmecs from Africa?
Andrzej Wiercinski claims that some of the
Olmecs were of African origin
. He supports this claim with cranial evidence from two Mesoamerican sites: Tlatilco and Cerro de las Mesas. Tlatilco is a site in the Valley of Mexico. Although outside the Olmec heartland, Olmec influences appear in the architectural record.
Who found the first Olmec head?
The first Olmec head, Tres Zapotes Colossal Head One, was first discovered by
archeologist Matthew Stirling
in 1938. Sixteen other heads were subsequently found with one from La Cobata, another from Tres Zapotes, four from La Venta, and ten from San Lorenzo.
Do the Olmecs still exist?
The End of the Olmec Civilization
Two great Olmec cities are known: San Lorenzo and La Venta. … With the fall of La Venta came the end of classic Olmec culture. Although
the descendants of the Olmecs still lived in the region
, the culture itself vanished. The extensive trade networks the Olmecs had used fell apart.
What did the Aztecs call Obsidian?
Obsidian, called
itztli
in the Nahuatl language, has been found at nearly every Mesoamerican archaeological site. Items made from this material had both utilitarian and ritual use.
Did the Olmec build pyramids?
Civilizations like the Olmec, Maya, Aztec and Inca all
built pyramids
to house their deities, as well as to bury their kings. In many of their great city-states, temple-pyramids formed the center of public life and were the site of holy rituals, including human sacrifice.
Where are giant stone heads?
The
Easter Island heads
are known as Moai by the Rapa Nui people who carved the figures in the tropical South Pacific directly west of Chile. The Moai monoliths, carved from stone found on the island, are between 1,100 and 1,500 CE.
What gods did the Olmec worship?
- 2.1 Olmec Dragon (God I)
- 2.2 Maize deity (God II)
- 2.3 Rain Spirit and Were-jaguar (God III)
- 2.4 Banded-eye God (God IV)
- 2.5 Feathered Serpent (God V)
- 2.6 Fish or Shark Monster (God VI)
What ethnicity were the Olmecs?
While historians have speculated that the facial features of some monumental carved heads indicate an African origin of these people, most scholars believe that the Olmec, like other native Americans,
descended from Asian ancestors
who entered North America during the Great Ice Age.
What was the original name of the Aztecs?
Early Aztec History
The Aztecs were also known as
the Tenochca
(from which the name for their capital city, Tenochtitlan, was derived) or the Mexica (the origin of the name of the city that would replace Tenochtitlan, as well as the name for the entire country).
What language did the Olmecs speak?
The Olmecs spoke an aspect of
the Manding (Malinke-Bambara) language
spoken in West Africa. Both the Olmec and epi-Olmec had hieroglyphic writing systems. Olmec is a syllabic writing system used in the Olmec heartland from 900 BC- AD 450.
Why are the Mayans called the Mayans?
The designation Maya comes from the ancient Yucatan city of Mayapan, the last capital of a Mayan Kingdom in the Post-Classic Period. The Maya people refer to
themselves by ethnicity and language bonds such as Quiche in the south or Yucatec in the north
(though there are many others).
