The olmec civilization flourished roughly between 1200 bc and 400 bc, an era commonly known as central americas formative period. The new discoveries about the black olmec civilization of mexico and that of offshore india as well as the discoveries in sudan, points to an extensive area of civilization before the great flood. Mesoamerica includes mexico, parts of honduras, parts of nicaragua, costa rica and belize. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools.
They are easily recognised by their creative, enigmatic, and soulful artwork. The first evidence of african people interacting with the olmec civilization comes. The olmecs who they were, where they came from still. The olmec are believed to be the earliest civilization in the americas. Ivan van sertima did african people come to the americas north, south, and central america before columbuss arrival in 1492. The evidence suggests that the negrocostachicanos blacks of costa chica may be descendants of the olmec people who founded mexicos mother civilization. But in fact, that is only one of the many thousands of phenotypes produced by black people. Americas to create monumental art and architecture. The olmec called themselves the xi, the same name that they used when they were in china.
Rubber was an important part of the ancient mesoamerican ballgame. The book, a history of the africanolmecs, published by 1stbooks library, is the most complete and most facinating and intriguing book ever written on the black olmec civilization of ancient mesoamerica. African presence in the americas before columbus africans not only came here before the vikings or any other old world group but they left an impact upon americas first major civilization. The rubber people the olmecs are one of the most fascinating civilisations in the precolumbian americas. Black civilizations of america from prehistoric times to the present era, text in retrospect, africans of the americas are indigenous to the americas as well as africa. The first evidence of african people interacting with the olmec civilization comes from a team of. The sedentary peoples across the gulf coast all used black and white ceramics, particularly. Sutherland of all the lost civilizations of mesoamerica, that of the olmec is the oldest and the most mystifying. In retrospect, there is no doubt that the ancient olmecs of mexico and the olmec language, religion, culture were of african origins and specifically of the mende group of west africa. They thrived along mexicos gulf coast, mainly in the presentday states of veracruz and tabasco, from about 1200 to 400 b. Historical proof that ancient ethiopia and her black. The olmec were a precolumbian civilization living in the tropical lowlands of southcentral mexico, near the modernday cities of veracruz and tabasco. Nov 16, 2016 in a book on the life of columbus, his son, ferdinand, reported that his father saw black people himself when he reached the region just north of the country today called honduras.
They arose suddenly and with no apparent prior gradual. Jul 12, 2016 this view fails to match the epigraphic evidence. They were said to be slightly deformed as far as their posture. The speci ficity of each face and the characteristics of each headdress allowed the olmec people to recognize the figures, even though. The olmec were a people who lived about 3000 years ago in what is today southcentral mexico. The relation between these five variables or a combination of these variables explains the african origin of the olmecs.
One werejaguar quality that can be found is the sharp cleft in the forehead of many supernatural beings in olmec art. To grow up african american in the united states you learn at an early age that you are a descendant of slaves. Some olmec heads are dark not because they represent fig. The scientific evidence supports the african origin and perpetuation of an olmec civilization in mesoamerica from 1200 bc, up to around 400 ad. Some theories suggest that the olmecs were heavily influenced by early black civilisations, as a result of the supposedly african features the basalt heads possess. The word olmec also refers to the rubber balls, used for the ancient ball game of olmec creation. Due to a lack of archaeological evidence their ethnic origins and the location and extent of many of their settlements are not known. What was the first major city built by the olmecs by 1050 bc. Rosenswig and others published olmec globalization. What was the difference between the elite and commoners dwellings. The book a history of the africanolmecs brings all these great mystries to light. These origin theories typically involve contact with old world societies.
Because the olmec did not have much writing beyond a handful of carved glyphssymbolsthat survived, we dont know what name the olmec people gave themselves. First, there is no archaeological evidence linking the mokaya, bara and ocos cultures on the gulf coast where the olmec civilization began. Pdf regional perspectives on the olmec researchgate. The heads date from at least 900 bc and are a distinctive feature of the olmec civilization of ancient mesoamerica. The two olmecs cities discovered by archaeologists.
Olmec were known as the jaguar people, and they produced a very artistic, religious, and scientific culture. Recent research suggests that the olmec had their roots in early farming cultures of tabasco, which began between 5100 bce and 4600 bce. Shaping the boards of tomorrow olmec black on board. Nearly a dozen other european explorers also found black people in the americas when they reached the western hemisphere. Secondly, the olmec appear 600400 years after the decline of these cultures. However, all black people have genetics that trace back to ancient ethiopia. Olmec arts are strongly tied to the olmec religion, which prominently featured jaguars. When they arrived is not known, but a guess of 8,0004000 b. The olmec might have been the first people to figure out how to convert latex of the rubber tree into something that could be shaped, cured, and hardened. These include plain and black slipped tecomates and black and differentially.
Over a hundred years later we have discovered much more about the olmecs and are continuing to uncover more as numerous sites are colossal. Following a progressive development in soconusco, they occupied the tropical lowlands. They often depicted themselves with colossal heads, some of which were deformed, and whose meaning is unknown. Sites containing traces of the olmec civilization are found mainly on the southern coast of the gulf of mexico, specifically in the states of veracruz and tabasco. Gulf lowlands, is acknowledged as the oldest civilization in the. The transpacific origin of mesoamerican civilization anthrosource. The olmec civilization, which was of african origin and dominated by africans, was the first significant civilization in mesoamerica and the mother culture of mexico. The olmec civilization presents something of a mystery, indeed, we do not even know what they called themselves, as olmec was their aztec name and meant rubber people. This word is composed of the two words olli, meaning rubber, and mecatl. Wiercinski 1972 supports this claim with skeletal evidence from several olmec sites where he found skeletons that were analogous to the west african type black. In retrospect, there is no doubt that the ancient olmecs of mexico and the olmec language, religion, culture were of african origins and specifically of. However, these claims have been dismissed, as the colossal olmec heads facial features are actually very similar to those of gulf coast mexicans even to this day. Jan 07, 2015 the olmec head discoveries is a the history that the western world wants to stay suppressed because europeans has suppressed any information about the is a latter day one that comes after all knowledge of advanced, mathematics.
Because of that one mans theory, you have all of these afrocentrists, with absolutely no understanding of genetics or human migration, who write these articles saying that any and all peoples and oldancient cultures were negroid based on shoddy evidence and only physical appearance. The olmec ancient civilizations article khan academy. Olmecs are perhaps best known for the carved colossal heads found in central mexico, that exhibit an unmistakably african negroid appearance. The olmec were the first civilization in the americas not the first people. The book, a history of the africanolmecs and black civilizations of america from prehistoric times to the present era, is one of the most fascinating, wellresearched and wellwritten books on the subject of the black and black african presence in prehistoric and ancient americas. Not only do the collosol olmec stone heads resemble black africans from the ghana area, but the ancient religious practices of the olmec priests was similar to that of the west africans, which included shamanism, the study of the venus complex which was part of the traditions of the olmecs as well as the ono and dogon people of west africa. The olmecs were the earliest known major mesoamerican civilization. One of the most impressive pieces of evidence which show a direct link between the black olmec or xi people of mexico and west africans is the presence of scarification marks on some olmec terracotta sculpture. The olmec society included the current geographic regions of mexico, parts of what is now the united states colorado, texas, california, and into canada. In olmec mexico, the venus complex was also studied by the olmecs.
The olmecs are famous for their large basalt heads which are said to represent past leaders of the olmec people. The name olmec means rubber people in nahuatl, the language of the aztec, and was the aztec name for the people who lived in the gulf lowlands in the 15th and 16th centuries, some 2000 years after the olmec culture died out. For personal or commercial use, but please use the following to. By purchasing books through this website, you support our nonprofit organization. The olmec civilization was a precolumbian society within the heartland of the americas, operating as a kingdom c. Science,architecture,animal husbandry,government, space travel, and social society was well in place on the earth before they came into existence. They have come expecting to see pictures of that which the white man has maliciously defined as the true negro example on the left. The olmec people established a civilization in the area we know today as southern mexico. If this is true, then all black people regardless of which ancestral tribe we come.
The olmec existed before the maya, toltec, and aztec civilizations. Olmec terracotta art show people involved in a variety of activities from wrestling to pottery making. Black people open forum opinions expressed belong solely to the author and do not represent the views of other members, management, or the community at large. The mysterious civilization of the olmecs ancient origins. May 30, 2019 the olmec were the first great mesoamerican civilization. The black presence in america before columbus nation of. Thirdly, the olmec spoke malinkebambara, which is a substratum language of the mayan and mixezoque language families. The black on board programme aims to improve the racial diversity on governing boards of all kinds of organisation, from civil society and public sector organisations to private sector companies, by delivering professional training that prepares people to become effective board members. The books lays out the facts concerning the true origins of the olmecs in africa, with migrations from china and other parts of the old world. Historical proof that ancient ethiopia and her black children. The olmec people spoke a manding malinkebambara language and not zoquean. Timeline world history documentaries recommended for you. Many jade celts have been excavated in the olmec region of.
The olmecs who they were, where they came from still remains a mystery. The aboriginal black olmec civilization book book details. The olmec colossal heads are stone representations of human heads sculpted from large basalt boulders. There is a clear african substratum for the origin of writing among the maya wiener, 1922. Although these speculations have become somewhat wellknown within popular culture, particularly the idea of an african connection to the olmec. Olmec artifacts have been known since the first gigantic head was discovered in 1867 at the site now known as tres zapotes. The olmec were great artists and traders who culturally dominated early. The original olmec olmec civilization the olmec civilization existed from 0 bc to about 400 bc. The olmec were the first people in the new world to have. Historians describe olmec priests as being a short, negroid people who arrived at monte alban between 700s b. A study of the olmec civilization reveals elements that are remarkably similar to the ritual traits and techniques in the egyptonubian world of the same period. We know very little about the olmec a mysterious culture considered by many as the mother civilization of mesoamerica, that laid the foundation for the mesoamerican cultural traditions. Being african doesnt always equal being black since they are native indigenous people in north africa that are not black and also the san people khoisan that are the worlds most ancient race and unique are africans too but not black.
Jul 27, 2011 black people open forum opinions expressed belong solely to the author and do not represent the views of other members, management, or the community at large. When viewed in their totality these cultural similarities strongly suggest that there was contact between the ancient africans from the nile valley and the olmec people. The olmec were the first civilization in the ancient area known as mesoamerica. According to scientific studies, ethiopia is the birthplace of huemanity black people and archaeologist have found human remains there that date back to over 2 million years ago. Because they were the first civilization, many later mesoamerican civilizations used and repeated olmec features and characteristics. The name olmec comes from the nahuatl word for the olmecs. In weiners book, africa and the discovery of america, he explains that columbus noted in his journal that the native. These scarification marks clearly indicate a west african mandinka mende presence in prehistoric and ancient mesoamerica. The olmec were the first great mesoamerican civilization. The colossal portraits of the olmec rulers are a valuable historical registry of the olmec governments as pointed out by the great scenes of the heads in both capitals. According to renowned american historian and linguist leo weiner of harvard university, one. Which city to the east of san lorenzo surpassed it as the center of olmec civilization by 900800 bc.
Olmec simple english wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. See more ideas about ancient civilizations, ancient history and mesoamerican. In it, at least one of the olmec colossal heads depicts an africanamerican. Olmec alternative origin speculations are nonmainstream theories that have been suggested for the formation of olmec civilization which contradict generally accepted scholarly consensus. The aboriginal black olmec civilization book ancient. A spiritual healer that could travel from city state to city state. Our mission our mission is to engage people with cultural heritage and to improve history. They were the first to introduce ballcourts and they are candidates for the first writing and the initiation of the longcount. Jul 27, 2011 peace it is called the olmec problem simply because this is what the so called white scholars defined our ancestors as, as they dug and found these massive head sculptures underground while trying to study the myans and had no clue who they were. Black civilizations of ancient america muulan,mexico xi gigantic stone head of negritic african during the olmec xi civilization by paul barton the earliest people in the americas were people of the negritic african race, who entered the americas perhaps as early as 100,000 years ago, by way of the bearing straight and about thirty. My hypothesis is that the olmec people were africans. Please practice handwashing and social distancing, and check out our resources for adapting to these times. The worlds first civilizations were all black civilizations. Olmec, the first elaborate precolumbian civilization of mesoamerica c.
Skeletal evidence of african olmecs in ancient america by dr. To grow up african american in the united states you learn at an early. The book, a history of the africanolmecs and black civilizations of america from prehistoric times to the present era, is one of the most fascinating, wellresearched and wellwritten books on the subject of the black and black african presence in. The olmec statue heads are clearly of the indigenous peoples in the area, and not of west african negroids. The olmec people believed that in the distant past a race of werejaguars was made between the union of a jaguar and a woman. Ancient history encyclopedia receives a small commission for each book sold through our affiliate partners. Angkor wat ancient civilisations documentary timeline duration. The presence of the olmecs predates the mayan civilization by more than. Pdf a presentation by ten archaeologists which offers new.
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