Olmecs is the name of a tribe mentioned in the historical chronicles of the Aztecs. This name is rather arbitrary, it is given by one of the relatively small tribes that lived in the current territory of Mexico. It should be noted that the culture of the Olmecs and the level of their development were at a fairly high level. This is confirmed by numerous artifacts found during archaeological excavations. The article will tell about the culture of the Olmecs, interesting facts about them, their life and traditions.
Olmecs: who is it?
Before you start studying the culture of the Olmecs, you should figure out who they are. As mentioned earlier, the Olmecs are the conventional name for the peoples who became the creators of the first most “large” civilization in the territory where Mexico is currently located. Later, the peoples living here became the successors of the Olmec culture. The tribes of the founders of civilization lived in the central and southern regions of Mexico, in tropicalvalleys, where they got everything they needed. Now the Mexican states of Tabasco and Veracruz are located here.
The Olmec civilization and culture was at its peak from 1500 B. C. e. before 400 BC e. Cultural pre-Olmec civilization existed from 2500 BC. e. before 1500 BC e. The Olmecs became known in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, when researchers discovered traces of their civilization. It is assumed that they were related to the tribes that lived in Sokonusko and Mokaya.
Architecture and sculpture
Considering briefly the culture of the Olmecs, it is necessary to tell about the features of their architecture. The style of buildings of this people is characterized by monolithic bas alt pillars in burial buildings, as well as mosaic laying on ritual sites.
The sculptural works of the Olmecs differ from other cultures in that they clearly manifested a desire to depict a person initially, and then the world around him. The majesty and breadth of the authors' intentions are striking. It is impossible not to pay attention to the fact that the creators of the sculptures tried to depict emotions on their faces, convey mood and character.
This is confirmed by the exhibits found in San Lorenzo, La Venta and Tres Sapontes. The colossal heads carved from bas alt amaze not only with their size, but also with their beauty.
First finds
In 1869, in the notes of the Society for Statistics and Geography of Mexico, an entry appeared that an unusual sculpture was discovered on one of the sugarcane plantations. This fact was interesting in that the find was not similar to those that had been discovered before. It was the head of an "African" made of stone. A drawing of the find was also attached to the entry.
40 years later, near the city of San Andre Tuxtla, a local resident (Indian) discovered a small figurine of a priest made of jade. She was the figure of a man with a shaved head and, as it were, “laughing” narrowed eyes. The lower part of the face was hidden by a mask with a duck's beak, and the statuette's shoulders were covered with a cloak of feathers, which imitated the folded wings of a bird.
Studying the find
This find ended up in the US National Museum. The scientists who began studying it were surprised to find that the columns of unusual dots and dashes that were carved on the figurine were nothing more than the Mayan calendar. The date depicted on it corresponded to 162 BC. e.
Among scientists, heated debates began due to the fact that the nearest city inhabited by the ancient Maya Indians (Comalcalco) was located more than 160 miles east of the find. But the most important thing is that the figurine was 130 years older than any other find from the territory of the ancient Maya.
Rubber Country
In the legends of the Indians, it is said that in those places where the figurine was discovered, the Olmec tribes lived. From the Aztec language "Olmec" is translated as "inhabitant of the rubber country." And the name comes from the word"olman" - "rubber country", "place of rubber extraction".
Ancient Indian legends say that the Olmecs are the very first civilization among the peoples of Central America, who lived on the south coast of the Gulf of Mexico.
Discovery of civilization
The discovery of the Olmec civilization and culture occurred in 1909. During construction in the Mexican city of Necay (Puebla state), an engineer from the United States stumbled upon an ancient pyramid. It contained a figurine of a seated jaguar made of jade. It was later acquired by the New York Historical Museum.
It was this jade jaguar that helped scientist D. K. Vaillant discover the civilization and culture of the Olmecs. The features of the figurine clearly distinguished it from all the artifacts related to the ancient Maya. She was sharply distinguished by her plasticity and style. Subsequently, this jade jaguar became the starting point that determined the discovery of the civilization of the ancient people.
Olmec art culture
In the middle of 1966, Carlo Gay, an amateur archaeologist, was exploring the rocky hills along the Papagayo River, located in the Mexican state of Guerrero, and literally stumbled upon a large cave. In it, he found traces of ancient unique paintings.
Despite the fact that Carlo lacked the special knowledge and necessary experience, he could immediately determine that this was a very important find. It was one of the oldest art galleries ever found on the territory. Mexico.
The found object was given the name "Cave of Khushtlahuaca". It is a long chain of underground galleries that have been cut into the soft rock. The paintings amaze with their extraordinary beauty and show an unusual style in depicting various objects. The first gallery of the cave was called the "Hall of Death". It should be noted that today access to some halls is quite problematic.
Pyramid at La Venta
In the 1950s in Mexico, in the state of Tabasco, a whole group of artificially created pyramid hills was discovered, later called "Complex A". Large-scale excavations began almost immediately here. The largest object here is the "Great Pyramid", so named because of its size. It reaches a height of as much as 33 meters.
The pyramids were built of clay and lined with lime mortar, which has the strength of cement. For a long period, scientists could not find out the true size of this giant structure, since the pyramid was hidden by dense thickets of the jungle. The researchers were firmly convinced that the structure had a quadrangular shape, like the pyramids found in Egypt, only with a truncated top. However, in 1968, it was discovered that the building is a cone, which has several unusual protrusions in the form of "petals".
Scientists explained this by the fact that extinct volcanoes, located nearby in the Tustla mountains, looked like this. As you can see, the originality of the Olmec culture was expressed not only in the style of makingfigurines, but also during the construction of the pyramids. As the Indians believed, gods of fire and earthly riches lived in volcanoes. That is why the pyramids have such an unusual shape. The researchers found that the volume of the building is 4700 m3, and it took 800,000 man-days to build. In other words, this gigantic pyramid took an enormous amount of time and labor to build.
Stone people and stele
In 1995, researchers discovered an unusual platform, dismantling which they found a deep and narrow hole. At its bottom were 16 small stone figures. This composition was a certain action. 15 figures of men were made of granite and processed rather roughly, and the 16th was created from jade. She stands alone in terms of composition, and the rest are displayed around her.
The figurines have features common to all Olmec products - plump lips, a flat nose and an elongated head. As scientists explain, this composition depicts people gathered around the priest during the ritual.
Also, a 4.5-meter-high stele was found, made of granite and weighing as much as 50 tons. Carved on the stele are people performing an action that scientists still cannot explain. The characters depicted are very different from each other. One has characteristic Indian features, but the second is rather Caucasian. This discovery has raised more questions than answers to researchers who are still trying to figure it out.this riddle.
In everyday life, the culture of the Olmecs was the same as that of their descendants. They created various figurines, sculptures, steles, some of which have survived to this day. They were engaged in agriculture, growing potatoes, maize and other agricultural crops. It should be noted that the Olmecs were skilled hunters. In order to get any animal, they did not just pursue it, but drove it into a specially prepared trap.
Also, the Olmecs were competent builders, their buildings were not only durable, but also built according to all the rules that are followed at the present time. The accuracy of the calculations makes scientists wonder how they managed to create three-dimensional structures, they still cannot explain.
It must be recognized that this unique civilization, which had a written language, owns a variety of crafts, amazing architectural skills and culture, and is currently striking in its scale and mystery.
