Full Answer
What later cultures were influenced by the Olmec civilization?
Their calendar and religious beliefs appear to have influenced later cultures. In fact, many scholars call the Olmecs the “mother culture” of Mesoamerica. What later cultures were influenced by the Olmec civilization? The Maya (2000 B.C.E.-900 C.E.) and Aztec (1300-1500 C.E.) cultures were influenced by the earlier Olmec civilization.
Why is Olmec culture known as the mother civilization?
The 1st civilization of Mesoamerica known as the mother culture. Olmecs worshiped this for its power. They believed that it could control nature and society. The transfer of goods or services from one person or group to another, often over long distances involving different locations. A culture that supports and/or inspires other cultures.
What impact did Olmec culture have on Mesoamerica?
What impact did the Olmecs have on other Mesoamerican cultures? Highly desirable items like obsidian knives, animal skins, and salt were routinely traded between neighboring cultures. The Olmecs created long-distance trade routes to obtain the things they needed, eventually making contacts all the way from the valley of Mexico to Central America.
How did the Olmec influence the Aztec in what ways?
The Olmec used collective labor to build monuments (pyramids, ball courts) and temples and this strategy was passed on to the Maya. The Olmecs (their descendants) influenced the Maya and the Aztecs with religious (complex polytheistic religion), art (pyramids, figures), and rituals (ball courts).
What is the importance of the Olmec civilization?
The Olmec civilization is very important to researchers. As the "parent" civilization of much of Mesoamerica, they had influence out of proportion with their military might or architectural works. Olmec culture and religion survived them and became the foundation of other societies such as the Aztecs and Maya .
What did the Olmec do?
The Olmec had religion and a mythology, and the people would gather near the ceremonial centers to watch their priests and rulers perform ceremonies. There was a priest class and a ruling class who lived privileged lives in the higher parts of the cities.
What were the Olmecs' sculptures?
The Olmecs made large and small sculptures, some of which are very significant. La Venta Monument 19 features the first image of a feathered serpent in Mesoamerican art. The El Azuzul twins seem to prove a link between the ancient Olmec and the Popol Vuh, the sacred book of the Maya. The Olmecs also made countless smaller pieces, including celts, figurines, and masks.
Why did the Olmec civilization decline?
The great Olmec cities were swallowed up by the jungles, not to be seen again for thousands of years. Why the Olmec declined is a bit of a mystery. It may have been climate change as the Olmec were dependent on a few basic crops and climate change could have affected their harvests. Human actions, such as warfare, overfarming or deforestation may have played a role in their decline as well. After the fall of La Venta, the center of what is known as epi-Olmec civilization became Tres Zapotes, a city which prospered for a while after La Venta. The epi-Olmec people of Tres Zapotes were also talented artists who developed concepts such as writing systems and a calendar.
What did the Olmec people do?
Most of the common Olmec citizens labored in the fields producing crops or spent their days fishing in the rivers. Sometimes, massive amounts of manpower would be required to move immense boulders many miles to the workshops where sculptors would turn them into great stone thrones or colossal heads.
What are the pristine cultures of the Olmec civilization?
Generally, only six pristine cultures are thought to exist: those of ancient India, Egypt, China, Sumeria, and the Chavin Culture of Peru in addition to the Olmec. That’s not to say that the Olmec appeared out of thin air. As early as 1500 B.C. pre-Olmec relics were being created at San Lorenzo, where the Ojochí, Bajío, and Chichárras cultures would eventually develop into the Olmec.
What are the Olmecs known for?
They are best known for their colossal heads. These massive stone heads, thought to represent rulers, stand several feet high and weigh many tons. The Olmecs also made massive stone thrones: squarish blocks, carved on the sides, which were evidently used for rulers to sit or stand upon.
1- The rubber
Recent research has shown that the name is due to the fact that the Olmecs processed the latex of rubber trees ( Castilla Elastica ), which were abundant in the region and when combined with the juice of a species of vine, produced a kind of resistant rubber .
2- The monumental Olmec sculptures
Olmec head. Source: National museum of Anthropologie, Mexiko-Stadt Photograph: Luidger.
3- Pyramids
South face of the La Venta pyramid, Olmec culture. Source: Alfonsobouchot / Public domain
5- Ball games
Exhibition of Olmec objects related to the construction of power, Mesoamerican Museum of Jade. Source: AlejandroLinaresGarcia / Public domain
7- The development of the calendar
The system devised by the Olmecs was extraordinarily precise and was based on a 365-day solar year and a 260-day lunar year, from which combination a 52-year cycle was generated.
8- Invention of zero
The creation of a calendar like that implied an advanced knowledge of Mathematics. The Olmec culture is also considered as the civilization that invented the concept of “Zero”, although this discovery has been erroneously attributed to the Mayans.
9- Hieroglyphic writing
Olmec statuette with Epiolmec writing. Source: Adrian Hernandez / Public domain
