Olmec Art Style

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 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 Olmecs were the earliest civilization to settle in Mexico around 1200 BCE to 400 BCE. The daily life of the Olmecs included farming, weaving, pottery, and games. The men would go out and farm squash, beans, sweet potatoes, and even tomatoes. Men also would fish. While the men were farming and fishing, the women would stay home and cook. They would also weave and make pottery. An important game the Olmecs would play is “pok-a-tok”. Another part of their daily life was trade. The Olmecs would trade all sorts of things such as, pottery, statues, figurines, obsidian, serpentine,etc. In return the Olmecs wanted things that were not normally native to their part of the world. Finally, the Olmecs believed that stone faces would help lookover and protect their society. Some technology that the Olmecs used that we still use today, includes compass, had a form of writing, used math, calendars, and cocoa. Those were just a few of the things they used back then that we still put to use today.

                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.

This carved head was built by the Olmec civilization around 1200-400 BC. A lot of these carved heads are found in the oldest Olmec settlement San Lorenzo. The carved head represents an old Olmec ruler. These heads were made in honor of powerful Olmec rulers.

The Olmec lived off the gulf of Mexico.They didn’t just live in one place they lived several places on the Gulf of Mexico. They lived in the middle of South West Mexico by several rivers.They mostly lived there because it had easy water access and access to draining rain water. Their houses were built on artificial hills to avoid flooding in their house, they made their houses out of stone, clay, and logs. Their Towns are usually built around the temple, to show their religion is the center of their life.

Noble Eisenlauer, author of Review of Aztec Sculpture, “the stone mask was likely made by an Aztec artisan who most likely specialized in stone sculpture. According to Eisenlauer, Aztec sculpting was a niche art and only practiced by commoners that lived in specific Calpolli (neighborhoods) dedicated to the trade. These artisans often worked for Aztec nobleman, and although being technical part of the common class, could often times be fairly wealthy compared to farmers or other commoner professions (3)”

This lovely tribe called the Olmec located in Eastern South America, is the foundation of the mesoamerican culture. Religion was tremendous aspect in the exhibit. The Olmec believed that their gods provided them with many things like maize and rain, so they worshipped them in many ways. These Native Americans showed their thanks by performing religious rituals and gave offerings as well. Some of these rituals took place in special community buildings such as pyramids or ball courts. Religious rituals lead by Shamanism, could vary from playing a simple ball game to possible human sacrifice. The Olmec were not very complex peoples, although one of their more popular gods is the were-jaguar, a human body crossed with a jaguar

The earliest known American civilization emerged around 1300 BCE, along the tropical wet lands of Mexico. This civilization was named the Olmecs, meaning the rubber people, and they arose before the Aztecs and Mayans. The Olmecs were a highly developed civilization with unique beliefs, art and influence.

Olmec culture thrived along Gulf of Mexico. They are known today because of their huge carvings of colossal heads. Olmec was the name they are called this named meant “rubbered people.” Olmec and Aztec have many things in common but many things that are different. Olmec people were mysterious they coded their religion and and records that they have of their god.

Olmecs were members of prehistoric Indian civilization dating around 1000 B.C built a remarkable domain in eastern Mexico, stone figures shaped as human figures are still present.

The large Olmec heads distinctive artistic creations. They were all sculpted from basalt rock and it is believed that they were made to resemble rulers. They built these large human heads to showcase the wealth and beauty that lay within the ceremonial

The Olmec religion developed in MesoAmerica around 1200-900 B.C.E. The Olmec had an advanced writing system of hieroglyphics. Some scholars have suggested that the Olmec was the mother culture of Mesoamerica, but they lack solid evidence to back up these claims. Instead, it has been found that there was considerable intercultural interaction between the Olmec and other MesoAmerican societies, but nothing that would lead us to believe that they were the founding society Evidence suggests that the Olmec highly regarded the Tuxtla Mountains. These mountains are believed to be the site of the Olmec creation story.

Sculpted in basalt boulders , there are 17 Olmec heads depicting mature men with flat noses and fleshy cheeks. The boulders were transported from the mountains of Veracruz about 900 BC. The logistics to take them from such a long distance—about 150 kilometres—remain unclear. The Olmecs didn’t have beasts of burden and didn’t know the wheel. The heads, which are 1.47 to 3.40 metres tall and weight between six to 50 Tons, represent individual Olmec rulers and each has a distinctive headdress . The first head was discovered in the 19th century.

While certain symbols and figures maintained the significance and meanings despite the passage of time, art styles utilized by the different Mesoamerican civilizations evolved with the passage of time. Having a unified system in which each of the figures possessed the same meanings and importance for each civilization, allowed for the emergence of an art style that could be easily understood and utilized by most. Before the Postclassical International system, there was not a unified art style used through Mesoamerica; this system was an expression of the unification among the dominant religious and political views at the time after the fall of Teotihuacan and before the rise of Tula (Kubler “Ecleticism” 172). Developing a unique, yet universal style was enabled by the similarities in the ideologies of the different Mesoamerican civilizations. Through repeated interaction, the symbols and styles merged. In order to create a system different cultures could understand and identify, the meaning attributed to each of the symbols had to be somewhat similar throughout the different regions. The merger could not have occurred if the symbolized used by the different population did not resemble each other. Due to their similarity, with repeated interaction the