the olmecs Flashcards
early agriculture
chili peppers
- beans
- avocadoes
- squash
- gourds
- maize
- tomatoes
staple food
maize (4000BCE)
animals
not very many domesticated animals
- b/c the larger ones could not be domesticated
- they didn’t use animal power
ceremonial centers
-monumental pyramids
temples
palaces
where were they
veracruz
-coast of Gulf of Mexico
Olmecs means
“rubber people”
-came from the rubber trees that flourish there
first olmec ceremonial center was at
San Lorenzo
important ceremonial centers
1-San lorenzo
2-La Venta
3- Tres Zapotes
irrigation?
none
because the area received steady abundant rainfall
what water system did they build
drainage to prevent flooding
olmec society
authoritarian in nature (strict obedience)
taxes
peasants payed a portion of their harvest to maintain the elite class living ceremonial centers and to
labor
peasants labored regularly on behalf of the elite
art
colossal human heads of basalt
=pyramids
olmec influence
central and southern mexico
- guatlemala
- el salvador
how did olmec spread influence
military force & trade
trade goods (precious stone)
jade goods
obsidian cutting edges
how did the olmecs decline?
unknown
- destroyed San Lorenzo and La Venta
- broke statues and ravaged
possible reasons for destroying their ceremonial centers
civil conflicts
political doubts
ball games and human sacrifices
unsure how important they were to the olmecs
