ReligionThe priests and elders within the Olmec Civilization established a joint view of religion to unite their society 3000 years ago. This religion connected the natural with the supernatural world through a concept of portals to the mythical world found within streams, peaks of mountains, and other places in nature. The natural aspect also influenced their architecture; for example, the temples and buildings they created closely resemble natural features in proximity to the area such as volcanoes and mountains.
Shamans Shamans were people within the Olmec Civilization whom could enter the supernatural world and manipulate nature to benefit their people. This was supposedly possible through the intake of hallucinogenic drugs and the process of bloodletting. While under such influence from these actions, shamans were able to transform into naguals (animal spirits) and intervene with nature by entering spiritual portals. Because of these actions, Shamans were greatly respected within the society. The Jaguar The jaguar was deeply cherished in the Olmec community because it was revered as the strongest predator to walk the earth due to its ability to maneuver within the air, water, and land. In Olmec religion, the ancestor of everyone was the were-jaguar which is a celestial being that was bred from woman and jaguar. Also, a majority of shamans transform into the jaguar during their rituals. Ritual Sacrifices Like many societies, such as early ones in India, the Olmecs practiced sacrificial rituals in effort to please the gods. Sometimes they would sacrifice infants (depicted through the life size infant sculptures) to please the sun god. They also played the Mesoamerican ball game, which was important to their religion. The game represented a fight between good and evil and life and death. Each game would be followed by a sacrifice in which they fertilized soil with human blood to feed the blood to and please the sun god. |
InnovationThe Olmecs, although known for their art and sacrificial religion, also have quite a bit of innovation during their reign as a civilization.
Math/Science The Olmecs were quite interested in astronomy. They were able to predict eclipses accurately, rendering them as advanced people for the time period they were in. The development of a 365-day solar calendar and a 260-day religious calendar further justifies that statement. The development of a mathematical system is another aspect behind Olmec innovation. They created a bar and dot system with the bar representing five and the dot representing one. Another important aspect to their math includes their use of the number zero, opening up more advanced concepts to mathematics. Language/Writing There is high amount of debate over what the Olmecs used for their language and writing. Most historians believe that the Olmecs spoke an ancient version of the Mixe-Zoquean language. (note) The Olmecs were the very first people to have a writing system in the Americas. Recent evidence of writing suggests a date possibly as far back as 900 B.C.E. The writing system used symbols to describe objects and words. |