1. Olmec Civilization
Religion played an important role in the lives of the Olmec
Many carvings found of the main Olmec god = a being with a human body and the catlike face of a jaguar
The Olmec believed the jaguar god controlled the harvests

2. Olmec Civilization
Early Olmec farmers used slash-and-burn farming = farmers cut down trees to clear land and burned whatever was left
Planted maize and other crops among fertile ashes
Problem = soil became exhausted after about 2 years
Farmers then shifted fields and repeated the cycle

3. Slash-and-burn agriculture

4. Social Life Typical of Agricultural Society
Men:
Plowed and planted
Hunted and fished
Women:
Took care of the home
Supplied home with firewood and water
Cared for children
Children:
Learned about farming and housekeeping

5. Intellectual Life
Maize domesticated
c BCE
Major staple crop in Mesoamerica
Also domesticated cotton, cacao, feathers, pelts, woods, rubber
Developed a number system, calendar, and a form of writing

6. Pok-a-tok
A ritual ball game = rubber balls were batted back and forth across a walled court
Symbolized the back and forth struggle between this world and the next

7. Here is a video link that shows the re-enactment of this game!
It’s awesome…take my word for it!
Pok a Tok

8. Olmec Religion
Olmec rulers = BOTH political leaders AND spiritual leaders
Performed rituals and ceremonies to satisfy the gods
Temples and pyramids built where thousands could gather for special religious ceremonies and festivals

9. Religious Rituals of the Olmec
Bloodletting
Sacrifice of humans, animals, and valuable objects

10. Bloodletting Tools used: Blades Stingray spines Sharks’ teeth
Obsidian flakes
Rope with thorns
Jade “spears”

11. Olmec Civilization as the “Mother Civilization” in Mesoamerica
Because of the influence that the Olmec civilization had on future civilizations within Mesoamerica, it is often referred to as the “Mother Civilization” in Mesoamerica.

12. Early Civilizations in the Americas: The Chavin (900-250 B.C.E.)
At the same time as the Olmec, Chavin dominated a heavily populated region in the Peruvian coastal plain and the foothills of the Andes
Did not develop in a river valley; relied on fish and sea life on the coast
Combined a dry coast with high mountain valley with thick jungles

13. Early Civilizations in the Americas: The Chavin
The capital, Chavin de Huantar was in the mountains, the intersection of trade routes.
Helped them control trade and gain economic power
Agriculture was based on maize which grown on the coast and potatoes and fruit grown in the mountains; Cotton was grown in the tropics

14. Early Civilizations in the Americas
Independently invented metallurgical techniques
Crafts people worked n silver and gold for ceremonial items; served the elite
Advance production used for pottery and textiles
Kings wore superior quality textiles and gold crowns

15. Early Civilizations in the Americas: The Chavin
Labor was organized by communities that shared the responsibility
They had the llama to help with chores
Domesticated in the mountains to carry bundles of goods in caravans

16. Early Civilizations in the Americas
Had to control the three ecological zones that abruptly began and ended
Political organization needed for irrigation and protection of the land; politically well organized
Influenced the religion of the region
Jaguar god is depicted throughout the empire
Other animals with human faces are also depicted