Abstract This paper offers an in-depth examination of the Olmec civilization, which existed in Central America. This paper discusses the lifestyle and way of life. It looks at the architectural methods, as well as the hunting and food preparation manners. It also discusses how Olmecs were influenced by other civilizations of the time and how, in turn, they impacted other cultures.
From the Paper "Long before the Maya, Aztec or Toltec flourished in Central America, there lived the Olmecs, a civilization that has come to continue to intrigue and amaze the world. They were the most prevalent group in Mesoamerica and a highly developed and well organized society with a complex calendar and hieroglyphic writing system. The Olmecs were the mother civilization in Mesoamerica. The Olmec lived around the areas of La Venta in Tabasco, San Lorenza Tenochtitlan, and Laguna de los Cerros in Veracruz during the pre-classic period. They built their cities around a central raised mound. These mounds, used for religious ceremonies, were replaced with pyramid-shaped structures around 900 B.C. The Olmecs used basalt, found in the Tuxtla Mountains, to construct plazas and religious pyramid structures."
A discussion of how art in the Olmec world can be used to reconstruct a picture of their way of life, which took place during the Formative period of Mesoamerica.
2,030 words (approx. 8.1 pages), 6 sources, 2000, $ 64.95
From the Paper "Art along with other activities, such as oral tradition, divination, ritual performance, and city planning reveals a culture's worldview, myths, and ideals of human behavior. These factors make an informed view of Olmec art style quite important especially because their art and architecture are the only surviving artifacts that can give clues to their culture. By analyzing the Olmec-style art it becomes possible to reconstruct a picture of their way of life, which took place during the Formative period of Mesoamerica."
Abstract This paper will contrast and compare the Olmec and Mayan Civilizations. By showing their similarities and differing qualities, I will prove their improvements and set-backs in the realm of history.
Abstract The recent discovery of the polychrome paintings of the Olmec civilization in the caves of Oxtotitlan has a number of scholars searching for answers. The paper shows that some of the paintings are quite substantial in size and unfortunately the presence of tourists and exposure to the elements are beginning to have a negative effect on the paintings. The paper shows that the use of the cave as a place to hold religious ceremonies may be causing the most damage to these paintings.
Abstract This paper explains that archaeoastronomy is the study of the astronomical practices, celestial lore, mythologies, religions and world-views of all ancient cultures. The author points out that many of the great monuments and ceremonial constructions of early civilizations, such as the Great Pyramid at Giza in Egypt, were astronomically aligned. The paper relates that many of the major structures of Mesoamerica have been found to have an astronomical connection. The author states that the astronomical knowledge of these ancient people from different parts of the world were not connected in any known way yet they undertook some similar approaches to studying the skies and to building monumental structures with astronomical purposes. The paper examines the Mesoamerican sites of the Olmec, the Teotihuacan, the Toltec, the Mayan, the Zapotec and the Aztec civilizations.
From the Paper "The links between the Olmec and the later Maya are numerous, and some believe that the Olmec may have been Maya speakers. Olmec emerged around 1,500 B.C. and came to dominate most of Mesoamerica. Olmec-style monumental art and architecture developed in the northwestern and southeastern edges of the lowlands. Much of this monumental art shows squat figures topped by rounded hats as a key feature of this art. In the southern lowlands during the Classic period, progressive growth and increasing complexity were the norm."
A look at Mesoamerican art's realistic system of human proportions, which can be used to reveal the cultures that existed side-by-side, as well as those that followed after.
2,400 words (approx. 9.6 pages), 5 sources, 1998, $ 73.95
From the Paper "Most civilizations of ancient Mesoamerica were located either in the highlands or lowlands, although the Maya inhabited both. The earliest civilization, that of the Olmecs, rose along the rivers of the tropical Gulf Coast. Most Maya development also took place in the lowlands, under tropical conditions ranging from rainforest to scrub jungle in Yucatan, Chiapas, Guatemala, and Belize. The ancient cities of Tula and Teotihuacan, as well as Tenochtitlan, Motecuhzomals city, were located at high altitudes, and the center of highland life was the Valley of Mexico. Modern Mexico City is built on top of the Aztec capital, and so the Valley of Mexico still dominates Mesoamerica as it did in antiquity. "
Abstract The great Aztec civilization was so foreign and so utterly isolated from other world civilizations, that, when the Spanish conquistadors first saw it, their emotions were a mixture of awe and horror. They were awed by the artistic, technological and social advances they witnessed; but they were horrified by their pagan ways, the human sacrifices and the cannibalism they saw. This paper examines the origins of the Aztecs, and examines this civilization in terms of mythology, agriculture, craft and religion. It also traces the destruction of the Aztecs by the Spaniards in the 16th Century.
From the Paper "As limited as the land devoted to producing maize was, animal sources of nutrition were even harder to come by. "Dogs, turkeys, and the Muscovy duck were the only domesticated animals in ancient Mesoamerica. All were used for food, but they made only a minor contribution to the Aztec diet." (Smith 2003:63). This situation is most closely analogous to the rice crop of eastern Asia, and contrasts sharply with the ancient West, where numerous animals were domesticated on a large scale for the purposes of nutrition. By virtue of their dependence upon maize, the Aztecs developed some of the most advanced farming techniques in the world."
Abstract This paper reviews and discusses the history of the Aztecs and the development of the Aztec society. According to the paper, the Aztecs were not the first great civilization that inhabited the region of today's Mexico, but settled after many former cultures had passed and left their influence hundreds of years before the empire was built. The paper reports that like other cultures, the Aztecs started as a small group of people that managed to achieve power and riches through hard work and a vision of the future.
From the Paper "The lowest stage of society was a kind of peasant that was not allowed to have properties, was bound to the land of the nearby nobles and had the task of working it, in exchange for a portion of the harvest. A lower stage were the slaves, less in number and that achieved such condition only if they were war prisoners, had debts or committed crimes. A slave was similar to a paid servant. The children of the poor people could be sold as slaves, but it was usually for a determined period of time. The slaves had the right to buy their freedom."
