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The Olmecs are generally considered to be the
ultimate ancestor of all subsequent
Mesoamerican civilisations. Thriving between
about 1200 and 400 BC, their base was the
tropical lowlands of south central Mexico, an
area characterized by swamps punctuated by low
hill ridges and volcanoes. Here the Olmecs
practiced advanced farming techniques and
constructed permanent settlements. However,
the consolidation of their city-states led to
notable cultural influence far beyond their
heartland, and throughout the Mesoamerican
region. It would appear that the Olmec style
became synonymous with elite status in other
(predominantly highland) groups, with evidence
for exchange of artefacts in both directions. A
non-literate group, the Olmecs nevertheless
paved the way for the development of writing
systems in the loosely defined Epi- Olmec period
(c. 500 BC). Further innovations include arguably
the first use of the zero, so instrumental in the
Maya long count vigesimal calendrical system.
They also appear to have been the originators of
the famous Mesoamerican ballgame so prevalent
among later cultures in the region, and either
retained or invented several religious symbols
such as the feathered serpent and the rain spirit,
which persisted in subsequent and related
cultures until the middle ages.
Comparatively little is known of their magico-
religious world, although the clues that we have
are tantalizing. The art forms for which the
Olmecs are best known, the monumental stone
heads weighing up to forty tons, are generally
assumed to pertain to some form of kingly leader
or possibly an ancestor. The smaller jade figures
and celts are believed to be domestically or
institutionally based totems or divinities. The
quality of production is astonishing, particularly
if one considers the technology available for
production, the early date of the pieces, and the
dearth of earlier works upon which the Olmec
sculptors could draw. Some pieces are highly
stylized, while others demonstrate striking
naturalism.
Much of the Olmec vision of the world is
symbolized in this elegant celt. The naked blade
was identified with agriculture and food, since
stone axe heads were used for clearing fields.
However, a celt such as this one would have been
used in important ritual ceremonies. In the
Middle Formative Period (900 -300 B.C.), Celts
were associated with ears of corn, the V-shape
being associated with the husk from which the
cob emerged. At La Venta (a coastal city near
present day Tabasco), caches of celts were
discovered planted vertically like miniature
stelae. The blunt end of this Celt would suggest a
similar use, and when placed in a vertical
position its appearance is much more dramatic.
In this stance the celt served to define the central
axis mundi and the corners of the four-sided
world, regarded as a cosmic maize field.
- (DC.332)
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