1. First Civilizations of the Americas: The Olmec
Chapter 2 / Section 3

8. The Bering Strait Land Bridge

9. The Bering Strait Land Bridge

10. Bison and Caribou

11. 1) Where do the first people of the Americas come from?
The last Ice Age (100,000-8,000 years ago)  land bridge b/w Asia and North America (the Bering Strait)
Hunters and gatherers, probably pursuing bison & caribou, crossed the bridge as glaciers receded (20,000-13,000 B.C.E.)

12. 2) Isolation
Civilization of the Western Hemisphere is distinguished by its isolation from the rest of the world
Over thousands of years, humans spread throughout the Western Hemisphere
Adapted to polar extremes, tropical rain forests, mountains, deserts, woodlands, and prairies

13. 3) The First Civilizations
The Olmec in Mesoamerica (Mexico and northern Central America)
The Chavin in the mountainous Andean region of South America

14. Mesoamerica

16. The Olmec in Mesoamerica

17. The Chavin in the Andes

18. What made the rise of these civilizations possible?
The domestication of new plant varieties
The introduction of new technologies
Limited development of trade
Social stratification & urbanization.
Active community participation by political & social elites (associated w/ religion).

19. What did the elites do?
Organize laborers to construct irrigation & drainage ditches
Clear forests
Farm on floodplains & hillsides
 Urban centers w/ religious structures & elite housing.

20. Mesoamerica

22. Geography of Mesoamerica
It is a land bridge between North and South America
A range of active volcanoes run through the middle of the Central American land bridge, like a backbone
That range is called the Central Highlands
Volcanic ashes created fertile soil, which is used for farming

23. Physical Map of Mesoamerica

24. “Cleaned-Up” Satellite Image of Mesoamerica

25. Pacaya Volcano, Guatemala
8,373 feet
19 miles from Guatemala City
Last erupted in 2010

26. The Environment
The mountain ranges break the region into microenvironments: temperate highlands, tropical forest, rainforest, drier scrub forest
 Amerindians developed specialized technologies that exploited native plants, animals, & minerals (obsidian, quartz, jade).

27. Obsidian, Quartz, Jade

28. Contact across environmental boundaries  trade & cultural exchange
Trade, agricultural surplus, & population growth  urbanization & political & religious elites
Mesoamerica was never politically unified
Shared common cultural elements: technology, religion, political organization, art, & sports

29. The Olmec

30. The Olmec ( B.C.E.)
Near the tropical Atlantic coast of today’s Mexican states of Veracruz & Tabasco
Early advances in agriculture  urban development
How?

31. Gathering & fishing
Domestication of staples: corn, bean, squash, & manioc
Surplus food
Craft specialization & social stratification
Political & religious elites
Prestige & authority to organize labor for irrigation, drainage, & political/religious monuments or buildings

32. Corn, Bean, Squash, Manioc

33. Olmec Cultural Centers:
San Lorenzo
La Venta
Tres Zapotes

34. Olmec Cultural Centers

35. San Lorenzo

36. La Venta

37. Tres Zapotes

38. The relationship among them is unclear:
Rival city-states, OR
Dependent centers of centralized political authority, BUT each center:
Developed independently
Exploited & traded specialized products (salt, cacao, clay, & limestone)
Was eventually abandoned, defaced, & buried

39. Salt, Cacao, Clay, Limestone

40. Why were the centers abandoned?
Rebellions or civil wars
Conquests
Rituals associated with the death of a ruler

41. Large earthen mounds dominated Olmec urban centers:
- Collective ritual and political activities
- Foundation for residences of elites
City layout aligned with the paths of certain stars:
- Belief in the significance of astronomical events

42. Olmec Earthen Mounds

43. La Venta Religious Site

44. Olmec Religious Pyramid

45. Olmec Social Structure
1) Political & religious elite: kings
- Houses decorated by fine crafts
- Fine dresses
2) Merchants: traded in obsidian, jade, & pottery
3) Skilled artisans: high-quality crafts (carved jade figurines, necklaces, ceremonial knives) & decorated buildings with sculptures
4) Laborers: construction work; lived in small stick-and-mud huts

46. Olmec Art

47. The Power of Rulers
Colossal carved stone heads believed to memorialize individual rulers (11 ft tall)
The best-known monuments of Olmec culture

48. Urbanization & the growing power of the religious and political elite were shared broadly by society.
HOW?
Example: collective labor
 Increased food production
 Made food production more reliable
 Diversified diet
 Spread of religious beliefs (clay figurines)

49. Olmec Religious Beliefs
Religious rituals to control commoners
Bloodletting and human sacrifice
Polytheism
Deities had dual characteristics:
- male & female
- human & animal
Representations of powerful animals: jaguars (rulers), crocodiles, snakes, & sharks
Skinchangers
Shamans & healers

50. Olmec Jaguar-God

51. Role of Shamans
Practical advice about rain (essential for agriculture)
Urban planners (astronomical layout of cities)
Development of a form of writing
Calendar to organize ritual life & agriculture

52. Olmec Ball Game The rules of the ballgame are not known
Similar to racquetball, where the aim is to keep the ball in play
Ball courts vary considerably in size, but all have long narrow alleys with side-walls against which the balls could bounce
In the most widespread version of the game, the players struck the ball with their hips, although some versions allowed the use of forearms, rackets, bats, or hand stones.
The ball was made of solid rubber and weighed as much as 9 lbs, and sizes differed greatly over time or according to the version played
The game had important ritual aspects, and major formal ballgames were held as ritual events, often featuring human sacrifice. The sport was also played casually for recreation by children and perhaps even women.

53. Ball Court

54. Human Sacrifice After Ball Game

55. Was the Olmec Civilization an Empire?
Probably NOT.
Reasons:
Limited technologically & agriculturally 
No significant military power 
No conquests
BUT!!!
- Olmec products and images (jade carvings of jaguar-god) in a wide area  the Olmec had cultural influence over others.