Alex Whitaker's The Olmecs: The Rubber People

Misra (2017) perpetuates his nationalistic views and provides little literary evidence to support the parallels between Olmec statues and Hindu-Buddhist culture. Firstly, yoga had spread throughout Asia during the decline of the Olmec civilization. Moreover, Buddhism arrived in China long after the collapse of the Olmecs. Secondly, Misra’s association with an earlier dynasty which likely never existed brings further doubt to his claims. The closest representation of the supposed Xia dynasty, the Erlitou, lived in central Asia without access to the sea and were capable of forging bronze, unlike the Olmec. Lastly, archaeologists have found significant evidence of pre-Olmec artifacts indicating a long history of development in the region rather than a sudden appearance that migration would have caused, had it occurred. Altogether, Misra’s claim of Olmec yogis who migrated from China is highly unlikely. Needless to say, it is more likely that the development of the first great Mesoamerican civilization was purely Mesoamerican, and without influence from Asian

The Olmec religion was very influential on areas like the Mesoamerican, both in the mythological world and social development. For a lot of reasons, the Olmec culture is the mother of all Mesoamerican cultures. There is no direct proof of the Olmec religion, unlike the Aztecs or the Mayans. Archeologists used techniques to find out how the Olmec religion worked by comparing it with pre-Columbian cultures that were documented better. When the Archaeologist 's were using their techniques, they assumed the religion of the Olmecs was consistent and unbroken to the present Mesoamerican religions. Researchers were able to find a number of gods that had the features of many animals. The shamans, priests and rulers did all of the activities that were associated with the Olmec religion. Rulers were considered the relatives of supernatural beings and of the Olmec gods. Archaeologist 's also say that there is evidence of the existence of shamans in their culture. Specific details in the Olmec religion were not always found by the researchers. At first, historians thought that the Olmec religion was based around a Jaguar god. Joralemon Peter David

The Olmecs were farmers, traders, artists… innovators. The Olmec culture first emerged in the Isthmus region of Tehuantepec. The site of San Lorenzo, which sits on the Coatzacoalcos River, sheds the most light on this mysterious culture. During this time period, The Initail Formative, food surplus sparked an increase in population and career specialization. With the increase of specialization and sedentism came the environment for complex culture.

The Olmec’s lived along muddy riverbanks and the Gulf of Mexico around 1500 B.C. Rigorous agricultural practices characterized the Olmec civilization, enabling them to provide food and resources for their families and generate income by selling their food to others around them. They also used the land to their advantage, using the mud to create elaborate earthen pyramids. Along with the cultivation of land, trade contributed to the success of the Olmec’s. They had many widespread trade routes extending into the surrounding areas. Their trade routes further helped to expand agriculture and grow the economy within this society due to the selling of agricultural products along these routes. To grow spiritually, the Olmec’s created religious rituals and a system of hieroglyphics that allowed the peoples to communicate effectively while also uniting the Olmec people as a whole. The Olmec’s’ use of their surrounding geography, combined with the economic growth brought about from extended trade routes and the societal unity brought about from the implementation of religious rituals allowed the Olmec’s to thrive during their time.

- After the invention of paper, the Chinese also began to use it for wrapping

The collapse of the Mayan Empire is one of history’s greatest mysteries. It was one of the most advanced and developed civilizations of its time period, reining during the Pre-Classic period and into the Classic and Post-Classic Periods (2000 B.C. – 900 A.D.). The territory stretched from the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico, down to modern day El Salvador in Central America. Its achievements were monumental for the era, being the first empire communicating with the use of a written language having over 800 symbols and producing the first 365 day calendar. They maintained an in-depth understanding of astrological cycles that would assist in planning harvesting cycles and predicting solar eclipses. The Mayan’s

                The Olmec culture is found through Mexico City. The spread of their religion influenced a lot of what their art that was found. Symbolic traditions, as well as artistic and architectural complexes. Were found Chiapas were the civilizations was formed around 1500 BCE. During this period the first true Mesoamerican writing and language were developed right after the Mayan civilization was formed the Olmec had a huge influence in them. Writing they had a lot of adventures epic poems about the gods that were from religion that were the explanation of the nature they saw, the stars they saw. All the natural situation that happened they wrote it down creating poem influenced by their religion there's different kinds of gods.

It is amazing how they created a writing system since it helped people talk and just advanced them by making them more educated. For example in document 2 there is a Glyph from the Mayan calendar. It is so cool how they started the calendar and how some of their stone monuments (stelae)

Norte Chico lived before and while the Olmec did. According to Ancient Man and his First Civilizations: South America, the Olmec and Norte Chico came in contact at one time or another. My civilization had an unknown cause of end, although, there was an obvious decline

The Olmec’s were the first individuals to construct monuments on the Americas, leaving us to believe that they were well educated due to the well artistry that was put forth in the creation of them. Those inhabitants were among some of the high status such as: the president and military leaders. The origin of the head itself is still being tossed in the air. However, there are many speculation

Olmec made mounds out of soil that replicated mountains and volcanoes. They would also paint on cave walls, carved out sculptures in the material called jade. These jade sculptures where used for ceremonial purposes. These Olmec didn’t use jade for carving utensils, instead they used stone to make drills to use for carvings. This region also made pyramids that are aligned with the north and south axis. These people were also known to paint human and animal figures and postures in many

Artifacts serve as a road map of the past, subsequently they offer data and a detailed accounts of important historical elements. Civilizations leave behind different kinds of evidence proving their existence and such evidence lead historians to the Olmec civilization. They suddenly appeared upon the world stage and successfully existed for hundreds of years, moreover this was confirmed with the discovery of ancient artifacts and it was later discovered to be the first civilization in the Americas. The Olmecs have impacted the Americas with their artistic innovations and these innovations can be observed in their architectural structures, writings, and stone monuments.

The Olmecs were considered to be great traders, warriors and artists. There is evidence writing systems and calendars they created were perfected by cultures that followed. Much of the Olmec culture has been lost due to the decline in their society two thousand years before the arrival of the first Europeans in the region. Although, anthropologists and archaeologists continue to make strides in understanding this lost culture, by studying the surviving artwork.

What Mayan writing seems to represent is a sacred language used only by the elite, initiated, and known only by them. The language of the Mayan was identical with that of the Yucatan Indians, given the fact that writing was identical. The Maya kept records on large stone monuments called stelae. They used the Steele to record important dates and to take note of great events in the lives of their rulers.(Price 91)They also used the stelae to recount the positions of the “heavenly bodies”_ particularly the Moon, Venus, and Jupiter.(Miller)

Massive temples hidden in the jungles of the Yucatan, mysterious stone stelas, and cryptic calendars eluding to advanced knowledge of the stars and mathematics are just some of the artifacts originating from the “Classic Maya” period (200 CE-900 CE). However, these popular items should not be the only defining characteristics of a society that dominated the Mesoamerican region for nearly a millennia. Dynastic lines, similar to those found in European houses, were important elements during this period in places like Palenque, Tikal, and Calakmul. Additionally, the Maya experienced violent and consistent warfare between localized powers and the backbone of their society, agriculture, suffered through several multi-year droughts. These factors