Culture: The Olmec Religion
The Olmec Culture: Religion
The Olmec people are part of the ancient Mesoamerica cultural group. Their history, cultural beliefs, and customs are quite similar to those of the ancient Maya group; in fact, the group remained understudied for many years because archeologists perceived them as a component group of the Maya people. They run an interesting culture, with interesting views on, among other things, the economy, science, their own history, language, and so on. I, however, find one bit of their culture -- religion - particularly intriguing.
The Olmecs' religion links nature to the supernatural world; caves, mountain tops and springs are in this regard perceived as doors leading to the world of supernatural beings. On this front, the Olmec people often structured their buildings to resemble volcanoes or mountains, and constructed their cities close to natural features as a way of showing honor to, and consequently winning blessings from the supernatural world.
Priests (historically referred to as shamans) were thought to link the physical world to the supernatural one, and were believed to have sufficient power to intercede on behalf of the people (Benson, Hermsen & Baker, 2005). They were honored, respected,...
" 4. Social and Political Life There is a general paucity of information about the actual societal and political structure of the Olmec. While there is not much evidence to build a comprehensive picture of the daily and social life of these people, there is enough available data from certain archeological sites to provide some reasonable speculations. One of the assumptions that is derived from the excavation of sites at San Lorenzo and
Olmec Civilization Long before the Maya, Aztec or Toltec flourished in Central America, there lived the Olmecs, a civilization that has come to continue to intrigue and amaze the world. They were the most prevalent group in Mesoamerica and a highly developed and well organized society with a complex calendar and hieroglyphic writing system. The Olmecs were the mother civilization in Mesoamerica. The Olmec lived around the areas of La Venta in
Olmec Although scientists found artifacts and art objects of the Olmecs; until this century they did not know about the existence of the Olmecs. Most of the objects which were made by this community were associated with other civilizations, such as Mayan, Toltec or Chichimecan. The Olmec lived between 1600 B.C. And 1400 B.C. In South Mexico. The name of this tribe comes from an Aztec word "ollin" which means
Mexico: Religion and Civilization From Ancient Times to Present Mexico is a nation that is affluent in history, culture and tradition. Being the third biggest nation in Latin America, Mexico has more Spanish speakers compared to any other country in the globe. Regardless of the social and political transformations that have taken place in the course of the centuries, proof of past cultures and events are perceptible everywhere in Mexico. For
100). This story told by the sarcophagus is an important one because of the way it provides us with insights into Maya religion and history. However, it is also important because it has become one of the artifacts that 20th-century writers have used to spin fantastic stories about how the earth has been visited by extraterrestrial creatures, whose images appear on the sarcophagus lid of Pacal, in addition to other
American Anthropology Jaguars and Were-Jaguars: Conceptions and Misconceptions in Olmec Culture There is not a question that jaguars were important to Mesoamerican religion and culture. The Olmecs were no exception to this rule. However, it seems that previous interpretations of Olmec art and architecture have erroneously placed more emphasis on the jaguar than is actually due. While a significant part of Mesoamerican culture, the jaguar did not play quite the all-encompassing role that
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