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18 Cards in this Set
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Offering 4 (Figurines and celts of jade and serpentine), La Venta, Olmec, Preclassic Period (900-400 BC) (Miller Fig. 21) These figurines were found to be buried after being laid out in this configuration. |
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Reconstruction of the major ceremonial center at La Venta (Complex C & A), Olmec, Preclassic Period (900-400 BC) The shape of the pyramid was assumed to be a representation of a volcano, but was only assumed so because of erosion, which made it look like an inverted cupcake. |
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Crouching figure of were-jaguar or man-jaguar, dark green serpentine with traces of red pigment, Preclassic Period (900-400 BC) This piece is similar to many other pieces we've seen which also feature a primal baby scream. |
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Colossal Head, San Lorenzo, Olmec, Pre-Classic Period (900-400 BC) The headgear of the heads changed from one to the next. It implied that it was used for athletic purposes. |
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Kunz Axe, Jade, Olmec, Preclassic Period (900-400 BC) Because of similar representations, he holds in his hands, a smaller version of himself. |
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Oxtotitlan Mural 1, Polychrome Mural, Oxtotitlan, Olmec, Preclassic Period (900-400 BC) Due to the presence of these murals, the iconography of altars of La Venta were deciphered to also be thrones. |
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Cascajal block, Serpentine, found in early 1990s, in the small town of Cascajal close to San Lorenzo, by local villagers building a road. Olmec, Preclassic Period (900-400 BC), or before. First example of writing in the Americas. |
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Chalcatzingo Monument/Relief 1 – stone, Chalcatzingo, Mexico, Preclassic Period (900-400 BC) (Petroglyph 1) Scholars believe the character in this petroglyph is a female ruler, not a male ruler. |
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Monument #6, stone sarcophagus, La Venta, Olmec, Preclassic Period (900-400 BC) Has a distinctive element of flaming eyebrows. |
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Mosaic pavement of serpentine blocks (mosaic mask), La Venta, Mexico, Preclassic Period (900-400 BC) This was a piece of art that was made, and then was buried. |
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Carved Human Figures, Wood, Olmec, from El Manatí (Early Formative Period around 1500 BC) They are expressive, individualized characters and are consistent with the ones found in La Venta, modular and reusable. |
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Standing Were-Jaguar, Olmec, Preclassic Period (900-400 BC), Serpentine. Unknown Site. Maybe an image with a shamanistic connotation. |
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State and briefly discuss the main differences between The Olmec sites of San Lorenzo and La Venta. |
2 prominent sites: – La Venta: Great Pyramid, burial sites, tombs, sculptural monuments – San Lorenzo: colossal heads and representations of humans and animals in art La Venta: Afterlife and death – Built around Tonalá River – Main center 900 BCE – Ex: Great Pyramid, Altar 4, and Altar 5 San Lorenzo: – Earliest known Olmec center, completely man made, drainage systems – Site known for the finding of the Colossal Head – Did not have pyramids |
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Describe the major changes that around 7000 BC transformed the way Mesoamericans lived. |
End of Early Hunter/Beginning Archaic: – Developed/established civilizations and cultivated maize + Domesticated MBSTA SSPCPCP + Maize: Distinctive element of Meso civilization > iconography and mythology of Olmecs – Spin and weave wild cotton – Crops = sufficient civilization – Craftspeople and artisans – AD 100: Created long count calendars Systems became more elaborate: – Lords commissioned city plans > transformed natural geography w/vast pyramids and ranging palaces – Great Pyramid of Mesoamerica – One of the many examples that portray developing civilization |
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Name and describe at least 5 distinctive and common elements of the Mesoamerican civilization. |
Rubber: – Critical element – Rubber people – Double scrolls: linked to game w/rubber ball – Material native to New World Pyramids: – Lords commissioned city plans – Great Pyramid of Mesoamerica Maize: – Significant in agriculture – Iconography and mythology of Olmecs – Most fundamental god: Maize God Architecture: – Coincides with trajectory of celestial body – Ceremonial center extends north from fluted cupcake – Structures/offerings were placed in a section called Complex A Long Count Calendar: – AD 100: Maya and others put together calendar of interlocking cycles – Most accurate calendar, more accurate than Julian used by Cortés and his men |
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The mythology and shamanistic practices of the Tacana, a contemporary indigenous group from Bolivia, helped Peter F. Furst develop a possible explanation for a certain theme in the art of the ancient Olmecs. What were these practices of the Tacana? What Olmec art theme did Furst associate with them? |
Delves into shamanistic practices of Tacana: – Human animal transformation, animal altar egos, shamanistic trances – Stories: flying jaguars, jaguar mountain lords, feathered/winged were-jaguars – Owner of the earth: monstrous toad w/fangs + claws, devoured the dead Furst: Outsider looking in – Writes from ethnocentric point of view, refers to these people as indians, Anglo POV – Shamans: acrobats, when performing trans + Somersaulting: skill shamans must acquire in training + Ex: Huichols, 5 forward jumps, 5 backward jumps + Ex: Standing were-jaguar |
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Tate and Bendersky propose that in their treatment of fetuses, the Olmecs use a reciprocal version of the 19th Century Euro-American notion that “ontogeny recapitulates phylogeny”. What do they mean? |
The development of a fetus is a step-by-step reenactment of evolution: – Everyone goes from animal to human – Reptile/rodent-like representations of fetuses = spiritual trans from animal to human – Ex: standing were-jaguar...opposite takes place – Ontogeny and phylogeny are reciprocals of one another Other ways to analyze: – Applies to building civilizations _ The way we teach our children – Fetus = beginnings of civilization and inhabitance of Mesos in the Americas |
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How does the text Olmec pottery production and export in ancient Mexico determined through elemental analysis support the “cultura madre” hypothesis? |
Mother and Sister Culture: – Uses INAA on ceramics for fingerprints to determine where Olmec pottery originated from – Mother Culture: Olmec culture = sociopolitically complex – Sister Culture: Olmecs are equal in terms of sociopolitical levels – San Lorenzo horizon: earliest spread of Olmec-style ceramic vessels and figurines + 1. Xochiltepec White + 2. Conejo Orange-on-White Useful source for analyzing hypothesis: – Clay: prominent in some regional areas vs others – Archaeological position is critical in finding Olmec pottery – Found in SL, Valley of Oaxaca, and Nochixtlan Valley SL Olmecs produced fine white-paste pottery and decorated Olmec-style ceramics > exported to regional centers across Meso: – White pottery inspiration for emulation throughout Meso – Manipulated/reproduced in different ways |
