THE OLMECS
by:Noah,Tyler and drew
The Olmec tribe
The Olmecs were a tribe that lived during the years 1500 B.C.E to 400 B.C.E. They lived in present day Tabasco and Veracruz. The Olmecs built huge stone replicas of the heads over some of their religious figures. These heads were around nine feet tall and weighed up to 40 tons. As shown in this picture, they were known for their skilled architecture and art.
Olmec Culture:
Aside from being known for trading with the Mayans and having a rivalry with the Aztecs, the Olmecs are also known for their culture. The Olmec's cuisine was mainly beans, squash, manic, and sweet potatoes. Their clothes were mainly made of cotton and bark, and the women in these tribes had many more rights than apposing tribes. The Olecs also practiced the religion Shamanism.
Geography:
The Olmec tribe was located on the south coast of the Gulf of Mexico coastal plain in the southern regions of Tabasco and Veracruz. The area were the Olmecs lived was about 125 miles long and 50 miles wide. Two rivers were located around the same area: the Mezcalapa and Coatzacoalcos rivers and the land was surrounded by low hill ridges and volcanoes.
Trade:
The Olmec's didn't have many natural resources that they could use for trade, however the did have rivers. The Mezcalapa and Coatzacoalcos rivers which ran down the center of the civilization and were used for trade. Their main trade items were greenstone and marine shell and their trading partners were the Mayas.
The effect on modern day society:
It was often thought that the Olmecs had no writing system, that is until a Olmec scroll of a well dressed man was found in Vera Cruz, mexico in 1986. the scroll was made of a soft material that made it almost impossible to withstand the thousands of years that had passed. the language that they spoke was most likely a form of proto-Mixe-Zoquean.