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The religion of the Olmec people
significantly influenced the social development and mythological world view of
Mesoamerica. Scholars have seen echoes of Olmec supernatural in the subsequent
religions and mythologies of nearly all later pre-Columbian era cultures.
The first Mesoamerican civilization, the Olmecs, developed on present-day Mexico
southern Gulf Coast in the centuries before 1200 BCE. The culture lasted until
roughly 400 BCE, at which time their centre of La Venta lay abandoned. The Olmec
culture is often considered a "mother culture" to later Mesoamerican cultures.
Olmec religious activities were performed by a combination of rulers,
full-time priests, and shamans. The rulers seem to have been the most important
religious figures, with their links to the Olmec deities or supernaturals
providing legitimacy for their rule. There is also considerable evidence for
shamans in the Olmec archaeological record, particularly in the so-called
"transformation figures".
The major gods were The Olmec Dragon, The Maize deity, The Rain Spirit and
Were-jaguar, The Banded-eye god, The Feathered Serpent, and The Fish or Shark
Monster.
My Icon: The Olmec Dragon, carved in stone. |