In Mesoamerica, jade and other green stones held immense cultural and symbolic importance, being prized for their green color, associated with life, water, and fertility, and used in religious objects, royal adornments, and burial rituals
The Olmec civilization thrived in the Preclassic or Formative period of Mesoamerica, roughly from 1500 BCE to 400 BCE, primarily in the Gulf Coast region of Mexico, encompassing the present-day states of Veracruz and Tabasco.
The Olmec civilization is what is known as an archaeological culture. This means there is a collection of artifacts thought by archaeologists to represent a particular society. What is known about archaeological cultures is based on artifacts, rather than texts. In the case of the Olmec, archaeologists think artifacts found primarily on the northern half of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec in Mesoamerica from 1200–500 B.C.E. timeframe represent the Olmec society. The name Olmec was actually invented by scholars. Derived from the Nahuatl (Aztec) word “Olmecatl”, which means “inhabitant of the rubber country”, Olmec is a reference to the rubber production in the area where many of the artifacts have been found.
San Lorenzo and La Venta are the most significant Olmec centers. San Lorenzo was at its height around 1150 to 900 B.C.E. La Venta reached its height in about 900–500 B.C.E.
Research at these and other sites has led to the following insights. The Olmec created massive monuments, including colossal stone heads, thrones, stela (upright slabs), and statues. They may have been the originators of the Mesoamerican ball game, a ceremonial team sport played throughout the region for centuries. They also built earthen mounds and pyramids, and ceramics of several types that became common throughout a broad region influenced by the Olmec civilization.
Green stone Face Mask
Olmec Civilization
10th-6th century BCE
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