SOCIAL, POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC ORGANIZATION OF THE OLMECS - HISTORY - 2024

The Olmec civilization was one of the first to inhabit the geographical area known as Mesoamerica, an area between Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador and Belize, which shared the same culture based on cultivation, agricultural economy, solar calendar, human sacrifices, tools of stone and absence of metal.

The first settlers of this area are believed to have migrated through the Bering Strait during the last ice age, approximately until 13,000 years ago. Until the 1930s, the Olmecs were believed to be a derivation of the Mayans, a small group known only through small artifacts that had been found.

Olmec head in Museum of Villhermosa.

This was due in large part to the fact that their cities were immersed in inaccessible places, stuck in the jungle which had absorbed them when they were abandoned for millennia.

It was thanks to the archaeological discoveries of the 1930s, in which it was discovered that this culture was actually a great power, with great monolithic monuments, as well as a great and advanced artistic society and culture.

The Olmec culture was the first great civilization, noted for its great architectural works. Approximately 7,500 years ago is when the first traces of agriculture are evident in the area. The Olmec civilization began to flourish around 1,500 BC.

The Olmecs lived through three great stages of development, having three capitals during that period of flowering. They started in San Lorenzo, then La Venta and finally in Tres Zapotes. The end of the Olmec culture remains a mystery.

The Olmec culture greatly influenced later Mesoamerican civilizations such as the Aztecs and the Mayans already mentioned; especially as far as religion and art are concerned. Places as distant as 700 kilometers have elements of their culture.

Political organization of the Olmecs

In the beginning, the Olmecs were agrarian communities. The first civilizations that settled in the American continent stopped being nomads and dedicated themselves to agriculture. That is why they began to build their towns with more dedication.

By establishing their farms and dividing their activities, they began one of the primitive forms of egalitarian community.

There are two hypotheses about the political organization of the Olmecs. In one of them, the political and social structure was integrated into one.

An elite managed the agricultural resources, the water and the stone quarries for construction. A hierarchical structure was created that monopolized resources.

The second theory suggests that elites descended from families that acquired the best farms, thus gaining control. Once in power, the priests emerged.

The priests and the ruling elite were practically the same. The priests evolved into shamans or priest-kings with supposed divine powers. A religion was formed to sustain the power of the shamans, which came from the gods.

Economic organization

The main economic activity of the Olmecs was agriculture. They had large crops of corn, sweet potatoes, avocados, beans, squash, and yams. Although they normally settled on farms, they also came to practice slash and burn agriculture.

The Olmecs traded in basalt, rubber, shells, pottery, and other objects. They formed alliances with the peoples with whom they traded, for example Monte Albán and Teotihuacán.

Olmec sculpture exhibition: "The Twins". Photo recovered from "The Olmec Civilization and Background"

The main economic centers of the Olmecs were the cities located in San Lorenzo, La Venta and Tres Zapotes. San Lorenzo is characterized for being a fertile area, where farms abounded. They used the rivers for irrigation and as a means of communication.

La Venta was characterized by being the commercial area. Being on the coast, it was an important fishing area, and there were also crops of rubber and cocoa.

The rubber products were later used by other civilizations such as the Aztecs and the Mayans. Also in the Venta area are the basalt mines that were also used by them.

The Tres Zapotes area was used during the period 400 BC - 1,500 AD. Not much is known about its economy, but it is an area where temples abound. Stones were also found where the Olmecs recorded their numbering.

Social organization

The Olmecs are known to perform rituals with human sacrifices. They also had sports activities with balls made of natural rubber.

Olmec cities, such as San Lorenzo, had areas for the residences of the ruling elite and others for the general population. These consisted of terraces where it is believed the houses were built.

The ruling class and artists are thought to have lived in the city of about 1,000 inhabitants, while the surrounding areas were home to about 10,000 people.

Places like La Venta, in addition to the settlement of the ruling elites and artisans, served as a pilgrimage site or a sacred site to pay honors. It became a great center for marketing and fishing. The largest pyramids were built, one of them 33 meters high.

Olmec dress drawing

The Olmecs expanded and imposed their religious beliefs and their market in the surrounding areas, which is why clashes with other settlements occurred. Evidence of this are the drawings of armed warriors at war and found weapons.

As mentioned earlier, the working class lived apart, bringing offerings at religious ceremonies to the temples, where the priests and ruling lineage resided.

The religion was based on the cult of animals, some of them fantastic, like a winged serpent. Some caves were considered sacred sites. Through the use of hallucinogenic drugs, obtained from some plants, the priests went into a trance and had their visions.

Once in a trance state, priests were said to be able to manipulate the forces of nature, to attract rain and grow crops.

The most important god for the Olmecs was a mixture of man and jaguar. This animal was highly revered for its great predatory ability over the rest of the species.

One of the most notorious social activities was the ball game, much like soccer, played on fields of roughly the same size. There were stands for the public on the sides and the teams could not touch the ball by hand.

Olmec god

The rubber ball was very heavy (approximately 3 kilograms) and could cause serious damage when hitting a player.

The players wore helmets and the captain of the losing team was sacrificed to the gods to ask that the volcanoes not erupt or that the earthquakes not occur. The winning captain was highly glorified and rewarding, making the risk of playing worthwhile.

Recent archaeological discoveries have revealed that the Olmec writing is the predecessor of many previously discovered Mayan glyphs.

Even a drawing of a bird with some characters coming out of its mouth, reminds us of the balloons used today to represent character dialogues.

Themes of interest

Characteristics of the Olmecs.

Olmec gods.

References

1. Bernal, I. (1969). The Olmec World. California, University of California Press.
2. Cartwright, M. (2013). Ancient History Encyclopedia: Olmec civilization. Recovered from: ancient.eu.
3. Olmec civilization. Recovered from: ancient.eu.
4. Olmec History. Recovered from: olmec.info.
5. Olmec people. Recovered from: britannica.com.
6. The Olmecs and the Chavins. Recovered from: olmecandchavinsocieties.weebly.com.
7. The olmecs. Recovered from: kidspast.com.