Olmec Culture

849 Words4 Pages
Olmec Art The Olmec culture flourished in the region extending south from central Mexico through Guatemala, Honduras and into Costa Rica better known as Mesoamerica around 1200 to 300 B.C. The Olmec civilization is one of the oldest civilizations discovered in America, only the Chavin of Peru is as old as the Olmec. The Olmec art discovered in the Mesoamerica shows that the area shared several similar cultural traits. The Olmec society was a hierarchical one where different classes existed according to wealth, status and government ranks, rulers lived in bigger cities such as San Lorenzo and La Venta surrounded by smaller town where farmers worked to sustain the urban population. The word Olmec can mean two different meanings according to…show more content…
was the largest Olmec site where archeologists discovered seventy gigantic stone sculptures including ten ruler portraits , the sculptures size shows the power of the rulers as the basalt stone that they were made only exits at least sixty plus miles away from where they found, meaning that it took enormous man power to move it in the absence of the wheel at that time. La Venta thrived between 900 and 400 B.C. like San Lorenzo the site was rich with colossal heads, thrones, and stone sculptures, in addition it was dominated by Earthen pyramids rising to a height of 100 feet, acting as a focal point of smaller mounds symmetrical around a vertical axis. North of the La Venta archeologists discovered a courtyard with purposely buried objects, believed to be an offering to mother earth; these objects included several tools, figurines and serpentine, the tools is believed to be of ritual significance as it was made of jade which also lead to the belief that La Venta was a cosmopolitan center as jade was found in the tropical jungle of the coastal…show more content…
Tlatilco (“where the things are hidden”) is one of the important centers in the area with a style contemporary with San Lorenzo believed to have been very populated due to the finding of 500 grave sites in the area. Most of the objects found in the gulf coast region are made of clay or jade. For example Chalcatzingo is generally similar to La Venta except for it monumental stone sculptures and rock
Open Document