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OLMEC CULTURE OF THE GULF COAST
A. History of Olmec studies
1. five institutions have sponsored virtually all research
a) National Geographic Society
b) Smithsonian Institution
c) Berkeley
d) Yale
e) Instituto de Antropologia of the Universidad Veracruzana
2. principal investigators
a) Miguel Covarrubias
b) Matthew Stirling
1) explored Tres Zapotes, La Venta, and San Lorenzo in 1930's
and 1940's
c) Michael Coe
d) Ignacio Bernal
e) Robert Heizer, Philip Drucker, and Robert Squier
f) David Grove
3. three surveys
a) Philip Drucker and Eduardo Contreras
b) Robert Squier
c) Edward Sisson
4. excavated sites
a) La Venta
b) San Lorenzo
c) Chalcatzingo
B. General comments
1. precocious society in an area which attained early cultural
leadership and then lost it permanently
a) distinct from "perennially nuclear zones" in Basin of
Mexico, Puebla-Tlaxcala, Valley of Oaxaca, Maya lowlands,
Valley of Guatemala
2. chronology
C. What is Olmec?
1. X Complex motifs
a) fire-serpent
b) were-jaguar face
c) St. Andrew's cross
d) jaguar-paw-wing
2. The Olmec Heartland
a) according to Bernal, it is best defined as the area along
the Mexican Gulf coast in which are found Olmec sites and
monuments too large to be moved
b) characteristics
1) located in southern Veracruz and Tabasco
2) zone is about 125 mi long and 50 wide
3) high rainfall - over 300 cm/year
4) dense tropical forest
c) limited on west by Bay of Alvarado and R°o Papaloapan
d) limited on east by the R°o Grijalva-Mezcalapa
1) swampy Chontalpa lowlands
e) limited on south by uplands of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec
f) Coatzalcoalcos river system in the middle
g) volcanic upthrust of the Sierra de los Tuxtlas
D. Olmec Sites
1. Heartland
a) San Lorenzo
1) San Lorenzo
a> history
1> discovered by Matthew Stirling in 1945
a: report of stone eye looking up from trail
b: turned out to be colossal head
c: research sponsored by National Geographic
2> excavated by Michael Coe in 1966-1968
a: located monuments with magnetometry survey
b> geography
1> located near Coatzalcoalcos River
2> plateau with 7 m of artificial deposits
a: may have been built as eagle effigy
3> system of 20 artificial ponds
c> stone monuments
1> over 50 stone sculptures across plateau surface
2> carved from basalt from the Tuxtla Mountains
a: source is 50 mi from site
b: floated to Gulf and up Coatzacoalcos, then dragged on
rollers
3> total of eight heads
a: largest is almost 3 m high
b: portraits of mighty rulers
c: headgear may represent helmets for ballgame
1: simple earthen ballcourt found
4> stone altars
a: basalt blocks with flat tops
b: weigh up to 40 metric tons
c: fronts often have niche with ruler, sometimes holding
were-jaguar
5> aqueduct system
a: U-shaped basalt stones with caps
b: system found 170 m long
c: may represent extensive drainage system
1: examples also found at La Venta and Laguna de los Cerros
d> other artifacts
1> pottery
a: San Lorenzo Period material finely decorated
1: depictions of were-jaguar babies
2> polished mirrors
a: made of magnetite and ilmenite
3> obsidian blades
a: material imported from highland Mexico and Guatemala
e> life at San Lorenzo
1> diet
a: fish
b: domestic dogs
c: suggestions of cannibalism
d: probably grew maize
2> other remains
a: bones of marine toad (Bufo marinus)
1: produces bufonetine, a hallucinogen
3> social organization
a: Coe calls Olmec "the first Mesoamerican state"
1: cites hereditary elite
A. judicial, military, and religious power
B. origin was differential access to land
C. colossal head make existence of rulers clear
f> chronology
1> dates as early as 1200 BC
2> contemporary with Tlatilco in Central Mexico
a: Coe sees Olmec influence on Tlatilco
3> destroyed by invasion or other turmoil ca. 900 BC
a: monuments smashed and defaced
b: buried in long lines within the ridges
1: ex: half-kneeling ballplayer
c: enormous amount of energy invested in destruction of
monuments
b) La Venta
1) La Venta
a> history
1> also discovered by Stirling
2> later excavated by Heizer and Drucker
3> now largely demolished by petroleum exploration
b> geography
1> located on island in a coastal swamp near Tonala River
a: about 2 sq mi of dry land
2> approx. 18 mi inland
c> architecture
1> pyramid of clay
a: 34 m high
b: largest of its period in Mesoamerica
c: strong possibility that it holds a tomb
1: has never been explored
2> long, low mounds to either side of pyramid
3> broad mound in center
4> rectangular court or plaza, at one time surrounded by basalt
columns
a: set on top of low wall made of adobe bricks
5> another large clay mound
6> different colored clays used for floors
7> sides of platforms pointed in solid colors of red, yellow,
and purple
d> stone sculpture
1> four colossal heads
2> stelae
a: Stela 3 - "Uncle Sam" monument
b: Altar 5 - central figure in niche with jaguar-baby
1: reliefs on sides with jaguar babies
e> buried offerings
1> caches of jade or serpentine celts
2> group of six celts and 16 standing figurines of serpentine
and jade
3> jade ear flares and pendants
4> magnetite and ilmenite mirrors
5> rectangular pavements
a: three altogether
b: measure about 4.5 X 6 m
c: each consists of about 485 serpentine blocks
d: laid out in the form of an abstract jaguar mask
f> tomb
1> found in Mound A-2
2> surrounded and roofed with basalt columns
3> sandstone sarcophagus found outside of tomb
4> remains of two children found on floor of limestone slabs
a: covered with bright red paint
b: poorly preserved
c: found together with jade clam shell, stingray spine,
figurines, and jades
g> life at La Venta
1> population calculated at approximately 18,000
2> believed to have been deliberately destroyed
h> chronology
1> principal occupation dates between 900-400 BC
2> destruction dated to ca. 400-300 BC
c) Laguna de los Cerros
d) Trez Zapotes
1) Tres Zapotes
a> history
1> identified by Stirling
b> geography
1> in swampy basin formed by Rio Papaloapan
c> stone sculpture
1> colossal heads
a: two noted
2> stelae
a: Stela C - Long Count date and hieroglyphs
1: discovered by Stirling
2: fragmentary basalt monument
A. abstract, derivative were-jaguar on one side
3: one of oldest dated monuments in the New World
A. inscriptions are among earliest examples of writing
4: Long Count
A. begins August 13, 3114 BC
B. largest period was 144,000 days
C. next was 7,200 days
D. then 360 days
E. then 20 days
F. then one day
G. expressed in bar-and-dot numerals
5: first period missing, but reconstructed as seven
A. date reads September 3, 32 BC
B. top part of stela discovered in 1969
6: even earlier date found on slab at Chiapa de Corzo in
Grijalva Basin
A. December 8, 36 BC
b: Tuxtla Statuette
1: discovered in Olmec area
2: duck-billed, winged figure with human features
3: Long Count date of March 14, AD 162
4: dates to after Olmec period
d> chronology
1> early occupation contemporaneous with La Venta
2> later occupation post-dates fall of La Venta
e) Arroyo Pesquero
1) 25 life-sized jade masks
a> young, middle-aged, and aged versions of same individual
b> probably represent leaders (of La Venta?)
2) hundreds of jade or serpentine celts
3) assortment of other objects
2. Beyond the Heartland
a) Guerrero
1) Sites
a> Juxtlahuaca Cave
1> revealed by Gillett Griffin
2> Olmec paintings almost a mile from the entrance
3> tall, bearded figure in long, red-and-yellow tunic
4> red, feathered serpent with green plumes on its head
b> Oxotitlan Cave
1> discovered by David Grove
2> paintings in a shallow rockshelter
3> polychrome representation of ruler
4> seated upon throne resembling Olmec altars
5> may be contemporary with La Venta
c> Teopanticuanitlan
1> newly-discovered site, reported in 1984
2> located near Copalillo, Guerrero
a: in drainage of Balsas River
3> excavated by Guadalupe Martinez Donjuan
4> two ball courts
5> stone-lined aqueduct
6> stone pyramid
a: first stone architecture at an Olmec site
b: walls decorated in a mosaic pattern
7> stone enclosure
a: tentatively dated to 1400 BC
b: interior walls of finely-cut limestone
c: overlies older adobe structures
1: centered on staircases decorated with flame-eyebrow
were-jaguars
d: four carved monoliths found inside enclosure
1: largest still has traces of red paint
2: measures 2.20 X 1.50 m and weighs 3 tons
3: appear to have been toppled from walls
4: depict supernaturals holding torches
A. similar to small stela from San Miguel Amuco
8> probable jade workshop found at nearby Tlacozotitlan by
Christina Niederberger
b) Chalcatzingo
1) Chalcatzingo
a> history
1> excavaed by David Grove and Jorge Angulo
b> geography
1> located in highlands of Morelos
c> monuments
1> Monument 1
a: ruler in cave or monster mouth
b: raindrops from clouds
d> burials
1> in crypts
2> accompanied with jade earspools, pendants, necklaces, and
La Venta-style figurines
e> life at Chalcatzingo
1> farming on artificial terraces
2> deer and rabbit hunted
3> dog was most prominent food animal
f> nature of Olmex presence
1> Olmec may have entered for long-distance trade
g> chronology
1> first occupied ca. 1500 BC
2> reached its height from 700-500 BC
3> coeval with florescence of La Venta
c) Abaj Takalik
d) Juxtlahuaca
e) Oxotitlan
f) The distant frontier
1) Honduras
a> Cuyamel Caves
1> Olmec-style ceramics in north-central Hondural
2) El Salvador
a> Chalchuapa
1> 500 miles from "heartland"
3) Costa Rica
a> Olmec-style figuines reported from here
b> one La Venta-style clamshell from a late site
E. Olmec characteristics
1. Chronology
a) San Lorenzo phase, 1200-900 BC
1) jade is lacking
2) three-dimensional monumental sculptures predominate
b) height of La Venta, 900-400 BC
1) maximum use of jade in Mesoamerica
2) flat, narrative reliefs predominate
2. Artifacts
a) jade
1) carved with techniques such as drilling, string-sawing, and
incising
2) blue-green color
3) until recently, more were known from Guerrero than heartland
a> prompted Covarrubias to suggest Guerrero origin
4) objects
a> stingray spines
1> real and jade
b> "icepicks" or perforators
c> clamshells
b) ceramic babies
c) mirrors
1) made of polished iron ore (magnetite, ilmenite, hematite)
3. Sculpture
a) colossal heads
1) may represent simple series of local or regional leaders
a> San Lorenzo, with eight or more, is longest series
b> La Venta comes next with 4
c> Tres Zapotes is last with 2
2) subject to mutilation and destruction
3) sometimes buried
4) largest found at head of arroyo in Tuxtlas
b) thrones ("altars")
1) figures seated in cave mouths
2) theme of royal descent (ruler with infant God IV)
a> forerunner of ceremonial bar?
3) theme of conquest (ruler grasping a rope with captive)
c) stelae
d) figurines
e) other
1) "wrestler" from Arroyo Sonso
2) ballplayer (Monument 34)
a> probably fitted with movable arms
4. Architecture
a) exterior space more important than interior space
b) bird effigy at San Lorenzo
5. Settlement patterns
6. Subsistence
a) cultivation of a primitive form of maize
1) evidence is in the form of mano and metate fragments
2) earliest evidence dates to 1500 BC
b) possible cultivation of manioc
1) amorphous obsidian chips at San Lorenzo
c) river levee cultivation
d) gardens next to houses (Santley at Matacapan)
1) low hillocks separated by ditches under volcanic ash
2) modern farmers construct similar hillocks around maize
e) swidden system (slash-and-burn)
7. Social organization
a) empire
1) territorial control beyond metropolitan zone
2) political, military, and economic dominance over other
leaders
3) emperor or comparable figure
4) imperial religion or ideology
b) theocracy
1) control by a small priesthood
a> provided agricultural calendar
b> acted a mediators between farmers and supernatural world
c> paid for their services with food, goods, and labor
c) state
1) four-tiered settlement hierarchy
2) ruler's palace and temples
3) elaborate burials and residences
4) institutionalized stratification
d) chiefdom
1) notion formulated by Julian Steward and Kalervo Oberg
2) Sanders and Price were first to apply this term to Olmecs
3) hierachically arranged society
a> highest rank is that of the chief
b> fewer status positions than those available to fill them
4) intermediate step between egalitarian societies and states
8. Language
a) Language
1) Campbell and Kaufman believe they spoke Mixe-Zoquean
a> many words associated with Maya ritual have Mixe-Zoquean
derivation
1> "pom" for copal incense
b> Popoloca spoken along sloped of Tuxtla mountains
2) Huastec is spoken in northern Veracruz
a> isolated Maya language
b> suggests Olmec may have spoken Maya language
b) Maya
c) Oto-Manguean
9. Religion
a) hypotheses (first three noted by Joralemon)
1) Continuity Hypothesis (Covarrubias)
a> sees continuity from Olmec to Aztec beliefs
b> all or most images in Olmec art represent ancient rain deity
c> were-jaguar may be ancestral to Tlaloc
d> suggests almost monotheistic system
2) Stirling Hypothesis
a> myth of creatures with human and animal attributes
1> Stirling noted Monument 3 at Potrero Nuevo
a: gigantic jaguar copulating with supine woman
b> does not account for complexity of iconography
3) Astral Hypothesis (Mary Popenoe Hatch)
a> many elements and combinations may refer to celestial bodies
and events
4) Las Limas Hypothesis (Coe and Joralemon)
a> Coe recognized five representations of deity heads on figure
from Las Limas
b> Joralemon defines ten deities, each of which represented a
cluster of discrete iconographic elements
c> we know that many animals were important besides jaguar
1> rattlesnake, cayman/crocodile, toad
d> defines series of god complexes
1> fundamental principles
a: primary concern is with biologically impossible creatures
b: depiction of images in profile and frontal variants
c: tendency to abstract and abbreviate iconographic elements
d: four or five complementary images may be grouped in a single
composition
2> classification
a: God I - Olmec dragon