Who are the Olmecs briefly. Mysterious civilization of the Olmecs

P After the symposium "Regional Perspectives on the Olmec Problem" in 1983, it was decided to use the term "Olmec" in a narrow sense: the society and archaeological culture that existed on the southern coast of the Gulf of Mexico in the 2nd - 1st millennium BC. e.

WITH The earliest traces of habitation were found in the La Venta region and date back to the end of the 3rd millennium BC. e. The first settlers mastered the ecological zones of the river estuaries and created an integrated economy using agriculture (maize, which gave three crops a year, beans, avocados), sea and river resources. The first settlements were small villages in irrigated areas.

IN end of the 2nd millennium BC. e. sedentary life becomes dominant and ceremonial centers appear on the coast of the Gulf of Mexico and in the highlands. The flowering of the culture of the Atlantic coast of the present state of Veracruz begins, which received the name Olmec (from the Aztec word "olmi" - rubber). The Aztecs named them after the area on the coast of the Gulf of Mexico where rubber was produced and where the contemporary Olmecs lived. So actually the Olmecs and the Olmec culture are not at all the same thing.
According to ancient legend, the Olmecs ("people from the land of rubber trees") appeared on the territory of modern Tabasco about 4000 years ago, they arrived by sea and settled in the village of Tamoanchane ("We are looking for our home"). According to the same legend, it is said that the wise men sailed away, and the remaining people settled these lands and began to call themselves by the name of their great leader Olmec Wimtoni.
According to another legend, the Olmecs appeared as a result of the union of the divine animal jaguar with a mortal woman. Since then, the Olmecs considered jaguars as their totems, and they began to be called jaguar Indians.

ABOUT However, despite all the efforts of archaeologists, nowhere has it been possible to find any traces of the origin and evolution of the Olmec civilization, the stages of its development, the place of its origin. Little is known about the social organization of the Olmecs, and about their beliefs and rituals - except that they, it seems, also did not disdain human sacrifice. It is not known what language the Olmecs spoke, and what ethnic group they belonged to. In addition, the high humidity in the Gulf of Mexico has led to the fact that not a single Olmec skeleton has been preserved, which makes it extremely difficult for archaeologists to shed light on the culture of Mesoamerica's most ancient civilization.

H Some scholars believe that the first empire in America was the Olmec. This was due to the creation of cities (ritual centers) with a peculiar, simple and powerful architecture.

P The first and most ancient capital of Indian America is San Lorenzo (1400-900 BC). It is located on a natural plateau whose slopes have been modified to create numerous residential terraces. According to archaeologists, up to 5 thousand inhabitants lived in it. The city was still patronized by the almighty jaguar god. His masks decorated the corners of the steps of the pyramid (the oldest known in America today), which is a cone with a base diameter of about 130 m, but with an irregular projection. Two mounds stretch from the pyramid (mound - an earthen embankment, a mound), between which there is a stone mosaic platform in the form of a jaguar muzzle. Also in the city were built: the first ball court, stone drainage systems and stone sculptures.
Between 1150 and 900 BC. San Lorenzo became a vast settlement that occupied the top and slopes of a low plateau. Its area is defined in different ways: 52.9 hectares, 300 hectares and even 690 hectares (the last figure is clearly exaggerated).
Archaeological research in the valley of the river. Coatzacoalcos revealed a three-level settlement hierarchy. The first level is represented by San Lorenzo. The second level (type 6 in the classification of the San Lorenzo project) are settlements with terraces and an area of ​​up to 25 hectares. There are four of them (San Antonio, Ahuatepec, Loma del Zapote and an unnamed settlement on the hill of Peña Blanca) and they are located on hills at about the same distance from each other. The third level consists of numerous villages and isolated households.
The buildings discovered on the hill fort in the 1990s were located on low, no more than 2 m, platforms. The most important of these was the so-called "Red Palace". It was a large, long building with walls of rammed earth and limestone and sandstone slabs. Under the floor was an aqueduct made of basalt gutters. Judging by the analysis of soils, the roof of the "palace" was made of palm leaves. A basalt column served as the central support for the roof. Another important building (D4-7), 12 m long and apsidal in plan, stood on a clay platform measuring 75 by 50 m.
10 colossal Olmec heads made of basalt were also found in the city, as well as altar-thrones and several dozen anthropomorphic and zoomorphic sculptures. The colossal heads obviously depicted the supreme leaders. Their small number and concentration in the central settlement additionally testify in favor of this. Although the heads are not individual portraits, they differ from each other. In addition, each head has its own special helmet. It is known that in Mesoamerica the headdress served as the main indicator of a person's status. These ten heads from San Lorenzo probably represent ten generations of the dynasty that ruled in the valley of the river. Coatzacoalcos for 250 years (1150-900 BC). In smaller quantities, monuments were also found in the surrounding settlements. However, colossal heads are found only in San Lorenzo, and in the second-level settlements only altar-thrones are found (for example, in Potrero Nuevo) and statues of seated men with high-status signs (necklaces, earrings) in elaborate headdresses. Findings of thrones in the settlements of the second level, therefore, indicate the existence of a hierarchy of leaders.
Around 900 BC e. the heyday of San Lorenzo ends. Both historical (conquest, social struggle) and natural (volcanic activity, change in the riverbed) explanations were offered for this. However, the center itself was not abandoned (Nacaste phase, 900-700). It is to the medium format phase that monumental architecture belongs - earthen hills and platforms located around the squares. A study of the settlements around also shows that the decline was relative. The settlement hierarchy still consisted of three levels: 1) San Lorenzo; 2) settlements with terraces, up to 25 hectares in area and several earth embankments-platforms; 3) small villages without monumental architecture. The second level centers have in some cases changed their location. In general, the number of settlements in the immediate district of San Lorenzo decreased, while in the periphery it increased. All this suggests that the complex chiefdom of San Lorenzo, although it experienced a certain crisis, remained unchanged.
By 400 B.C. San Lorenzo falls into decay, after which the city is abandoned.

IN The second ritual center-city of the first level of the Olmecs was La Venta. A large architectural complex was located in the city, consisting of two temples and several pyramidal platforms. Ancient settlers chose this place as early as 1400 BC, where they erected one of the oldest settlements. La Venta was built on the largest scale. And by 900 BC. the city becomes an important center of another important chiefdom with its colossal Olmec heads. There is a sharp rise in the power of La Venta. Perhaps this was due to another change in the course of the Bari River. From the turn of the II-I millennium BC. it ran 2 km from Group A in La Venta, which made it possible to control communications and facilitate the movement of resources. In the area of ​​La Venta, a three-level settlement hierarchy is finally formed: settlements without mounds - settlements with a central mound - settlements with several mounds. The population of the zone between La Venta and San Miguel (these monuments are separated by about 40 km) was at least 10,000 people.
La Venta has reached 2 square meters in size. km. Its distinctive feature was monumental earthen buildings. Their construction began in the tenth century. BC. Between 900 and 750 BC. complexes "A" and "C" were built. The central axis of the settlement was the "Great Pyramid" - an earthen mound more than 30 m high, rounded in plan. No stages were determined in the construction of the pyramid: it seems that it was erected as a one-time project in the 9th century. BC. To the north of the pyramid is a courtyard formed by several long buildings (complex "A"). In this case, this is the earliest complex architectural ensemble in Olman - the so-called two-part complex, oriented along the north-south axis. Perhaps already at this time there was a tradition of creating complex serpentine mosaics that characterize La Venta.
The next construction stages were accompanied by the laying of mosaics from serpentine blocks (apparently, these were sanctification offerings). After 600 BC in group "D" a new complex is being built: a small pyramid oriented towards a long platform. These buildings are arranged along a west-east line and are probably an example of a new architectural tradition originating in Chiapas.
In the Middle Formative time, a new type of monumental sculpture appeared in La Venta - steles, of which eight are known. Stela 1 depicts a woman in a complex headdress standing in a niche. Stele 2 depicts a ruler in rich attire with weapons in his hands, surrounded by six human figures. Stela 3 is the scene of the meeting of two noble characters; one of them is in a magnificent crown, as on Stele 2, and the second is depicted with a beard and a "Roman" profile, apparently personifying a type ethnically alien to the Olmecs. Several people are also visible on Stela 5: a ruler, who is identified by a rich robe and a wand in his hand, a helmeted warrior or ball player in front of him, and a character with non-human features and a net on his back. Another supernatural participant hovers above the stage - apparently a deified ancestor.
At the last stage (5th century BC), rich burials are being built in complex "A" inside Mound A-2. Tomb "A" consisted of 44 basalt columns forming a chamber measuring 4 m long, 2 m wide and 1.8 m high. It contained the remains of two young men covered in red paint and accompanied by numerous objects made of jade (anthropomorphic and zoomorphic figurines, pendants, beads), obsidian, magnetite, and an unusual necklace of six stingray tail spikes, the center of which was an artificial jade spike. To the south of Tomb "A" was Tomb "E", also made of basalt columns. In front of it was found a carved stone sarcophagus (Tomb "B") depicting a mythical beast with features of a jaguar and an alligator. No bones were found in the sarcophagus, but only two jade earrings with pendants in the form of jaguar fangs, a serpentine figurine and a stone piercer.
There are also colossal basalt heads in the city - 4, and they can be attributed to 1000-900 BC. BC.
The chiefdom of La Venta declines around 400 BC.

E another ancient settlement - San Andres. Between 1400 and 1150 BC. a flood occurred here, probably inundating San Andrés, where pure silt flows above layer 10. This apparently led to the rise of La Venta. In San Lorenzo, the earliest layers belong to the phases of Ojocha (1500-1350 BC), Bahio (1350-1250 BC) and Chicharras (1250-1150 BC). ). The city is located 5.5 kilometers northeast of La Venta. In the period from 900 to 400 years. BC, San Andres again became the center of the Olmec civilization. At the site of this settlement, one amazing find was recently found - a fist-sized ceramic cylinder with engraved 2 glyphs connected by lines with a bird's beak in such a way that it gives the impression of a "talk" of a bird. Anthropologist Mary Paul (who discovered this find) believes that this is the earliest evidence of writing in Mesoamerica.

M Less ancient and smaller is another settlement - Tres Zapotes (1000-400 BC). However, no buildings were found here, but huge basalt sculptures were found - the stone heads of the Olmecs. These 3 heads from the Tres Zapotes region seem to represent the three most powerful leaders in the 11th-10th centuries. BC.

D Other important medium format centers were Laguna de los Cerros and Las Limas. In Laguna de los Cerros, 28 stone sculptures are known, among which are zoomorphic and seated figures, as well as statues of rulers. The center was surrounded by several smaller settlements with one or two sculptures: Cuautotolapan, La Isla, Los Mangos. Excavations located 7 km. the settlements of Llano de Jicaro revealed traces of a specialized workshop for the primary processing of monuments from Cerro Sintepec basalt. S. Gillespie believes that the elite of Laguna de Los Cerros partially controlled the basalt quarries and the distribution of stone throughout the Olmec region. At the same time, Tres Zapotes is falling into decay, which may be due to the rise of Laguna de Los Cerros.

L al-Limas, located in the extreme south of Olman, has been less explored. A statue of a seated man made of greenish stone (the so-called "Ruler from Las Limas") was found here. Research by H. Jadeun (1977-1978) and subsequent work by H. Gómez Rueda showed that this hill fort was the center of an important chiefdom that included at least 27 settlements of the second and third ranks.

M every 900 and 600 years. BC e on the coast of the Gulf of Mexico there were at least five complex chiefdoms - San Lorenzo, La Venta, Las Limas, Laguna de Los Cerros and the peripheral Tres Zapotes. Based on the regular distribution of San Lorenzo, La Venta, Laguna de Los Cerros and Tres Zapotes (at an average distance of 50-60 km), T. Earl concluded that they controlled the entire Olman (about 12,000 sq. km). It seems that the sizes of the chiefdoms have grown in comparison with the early Formative time: San Lorenzo probably subordinated such second-rank settlements outside the Coatzacoalcos valley proper, as Estero Rabon, San Isidro and Cruz del Milagro; La Venta - Arroyo Sonso and Los Soldados.

ABOUT The discovery of the fortified moat and rampart settlement of La Oaxaqueña between San Lorenzo and Las Limas shows that relations between the Olmec chiefdoms were not peaceful. The fact that La Venta and San Lorenzo were part of various inter-regional political and economic networks also speaks of political rivalry. La Venta was in alliance with the chiefdoms of the Central Chiapas Basin and obtained obsidian from the San Martin Jilotepec deposit, while San Lorenzo was in alliance with the polities of the Pacific coast and used obsidian from El Chayal. The images of severed human heads and weapons on the steles of La Venta indicate that the military function was one of the most important among the Olmec leaders.

400 BC chosen by researchers as the end of the Olmec archaeological culture, although this is rather a convention. Rather, it should be about the end of one stage in the history of the region and the beginning of another. Tres Zapotes is still alive, as is Laguna de los Cerros. However, in general, the core of political and cultural development is shifting north, to the mountains of Tuxtla and spreading along the coast of Veracruz. Along with the old centers, new ones are growing - Cerro de Las Mesas, Viejon. The new capitals retain many of the traditions of their predecessors; therefore, the late formatative society of the Gulf of Mexico was called Epiolmec.

TO Olmec stone heads are giant basalt blocks weighing up to 30 tons and having an average circumference of about 7 meters and a height of 2.5 meters. Each of the heads has its own "face" with a gaze fixed on space. Helmets with a chin strap are put on the heads. The first such stone head was discovered by American archaeologist Matthew Stirling in the 1930s. He wrote then in his report: “The head was carved from a separate massive basalt block. It rested on a foundation of unprocessed stone blocks. Being cleared from the ground, the head had a rather frightening appearance. Despite its considerable size, it was processed very carefully and confidently, its the proportions are perfect. Unique among Native American sculptures, it is notable for its realism."

WITH Tirling also discovered children's toys in the form of dogs on wheels. This discovery became a sensation - it was believed that the civilizations of pre-Columbian America did not know the wheels. But it turned out that this is not so.

P In addition to heads, the ancient Olmecs left numerous examples of monumental sculpture. All of them are carved from basalt monoliths or other durable stone. The Olmecs loved to create various body jewelry and a wide variety of jewelry. Their price was not gold, not silver and not precious stones, but obsidian, jasper and jade ("sun stone") of various shades (from snow-blue to azure and rich green).

C The central place in the art of the Olmecs was occupied by a character whose appearance combined the features of a snarling jaguar and a crying human child. Its appearance is captured both in giant basalt sculptures, which often weigh several tons, and in small carvings. There is no doubt that this were-jaguar was a rain deity whose cult predates the cults of the rest of the known gods of the Mesoamerican pantheon.

R The diet of the ancient Olmecs was also based on a "corn" diet, like other peoples of the rest of pre-Columbian America, the main agricultural crop of the Olmecs was maize. The main sectors of the economy were agriculture and fishing.

ABOUT The lmec culture has been called the "mother of cultures" of Central America and the earliest civilization of Mexico. They are credited with creating the basis of writing, a calendar, and a system of numbers for the later cultures of Mesoamerica. But there is still heated debate around this - not many agree that the Olmecs invented it.

IN the last century BC, the Olmec civilization completely disappears, but their heritage organically entered the cultures of the Maya and other peoples of Mesoamerica.

Scientists suggest that the Olmec civilization is the first civilization that appeared on the territory of Mexico. It is even called the "mother" civilization of Mexico. Like other ancient civilizations, this one also appeared already with its own hieroglyphic writing and was quite developed, and the Olmecs were well versed in art and architecture and they had their own accurate calendar.
Researchers say that the Olmec civilization appeared around the middle of the 2nd millennium BC, existed for about a thousand years, and then seemed to dissolve. Civilization simply disappeared without any trace.
Their name is the Olmecs - rubber people they got from modern scientists. As the researchers say, they still do not know where the Olmecs came from, what language they spoke and for what reason they disappeared. One Indian legend says that they came to these parts from afar and were accompanied by wise men. After the sages left them and left, and the ordinary population remained to live in Mexico. The Olmec settlements were mainly located in the coastal zones of the Gulf of Mexico. But the influence of the Olmec culture can be traced throughout Central Mexico.
This mysterious ancient civilization left behind large ceremonial complexes with earthen pyramids. Moreover, all of them are branched out by a system of irrigation canals and even city blocks. And the jade products that the Olmecs created are considered masterpieces of ancient American art. And their monumental sculpture is simply amazing. It includes altars made of multi-ton basalt and granite. They created sculptures in human growth. But until now, the biggest mystery of the Olmec culture is considered to be huge stone heads. The first of them was discovered in 1862 in La Venta and today there are already 17 of them. All heads are carved from solid basalt blocks. Their height reaches from 1.5 meters to 3.4 meters. But most often, the height of such giant heads reaches two meters, and they weigh from 10 to 35 tons.
All stone heads depict the same person and are made in the same style. All heads have hats, but they are all different. Most giant heads have earrings in their ears. The person depicted on all heads has characteristic features of the Negroid race (puffy lips, large eyes, wide and flattened noses with large nostrils). And this, well, does not fit the inhabitants of ancient America. Some believe that the Olmecs came from Africa.
It is also mysterious that not a single whole Olmec skeleton has yet been found. They didn't survive. Science explains this by the fact that there is a very humid climate. The Olmec civilization has left us with many mysteries. This is a vessel in the form of an elephant that sits. Although these animals became extinct in America with the end of the last ice age. It happened about 12 thousand years ago. And this is contrary to science. Elephants could not live under the Olmecs, or they saw them in Africa, which also contradicts all scientific research. Most scientists believe that the Olmecs have roots much deeper than we realize.
The Olmec culture holds another interesting mystery - toys in the form of dogs on wheels. But America did not know what a wheel was until the era of Columbus.
But back to the mysterious giant heads. The researchers found that the basalt for their manufacture was taken from the quarries, which are located in the mountains of Tuxtla. And this is 90 kilometers (if you count in a straight line) from the location of the stone heads. And how blocks of basalt were delivered through such a distance is not clear to anyone. There is an assumption that the stone was melted down with the help of rafts along the rivers of the Gulf of Mexico, and only then by land. But this is also unlikely.

Other researchers claim that these heads went to the Olmecs from a previous civilization of giants, which was exterminated by the aliens, according to Indian legend.
There is a version that says that the giants ruled the Olmecs in their cities. And the giant stone heads are their portraits. And it was these giants that represented the Negroid race.

The Olmec civilization is considered the first, "mother" civilization of Mexico. Like all other first civilizations, it arises immediately and in a “ready form”: with developed hieroglyphic writing, an accurate calendar, canonized art, and developed architecture. According to the ideas of modern researchers, the Olmec civilization arose around the middle of the 2nd millennium BC. and lasted for about a thousand years. The main centers of this culture were located in the coastal zone of the Gulf of Mexico in the territory of the modern states of Tobasco and Veracruz. But the cultural influence of the Olmecs can be traced throughout Central Mexico. Until now, nothing is known about the people who created this first Mexican civilization. The name "Olmec", meaning "rubber people" is given by modern scientists. But where did this people come from, what language did they speak, where did they disappear after centuries - all these main questions remain unanswered after more than half a century of research into the Olmec culture.

The largest monuments of the Olmecs are San Lorenzo, La Venta and Tres Zapotes. These were real urban centers, the first in Mexico. They included large ceremonial complexes with earthen pyramids, an extensive system of irrigation canals, city blocks and numerous necropolises.

The Olmecs achieved real perfection in the processing of stone, including very hard rocks. Olmec jade products are considered to be masterpieces of ancient American art. The monumental sculpture of the Olmecs included multi-ton altars made of granite and basalt, carved stelae, and human-sized sculptures. But one of the most remarkable and mysterious features of this civilization are the huge stone heads.

The first such head was found back in 1862 in La Venta. To date, 17 such giant human heads have been found, ten of them come from San Loresno, four from La Venta, the rest from two more monuments of the Olmec culture. All these heads are carved from solid blocks of basalt. The smallest are 1.5 m high, the largest head found at the Rancho la Cobata monument reaches 3.4 m in height. The average height of most Olmec heads is about 2 m. Accordingly, the weight of these huge sculptures ranges from 10 to 35 tons!

All heads are made in a single stylistic manner, but it is obvious that each of them is a portrait of a specific person. Each head is surmounted by a headpiece, most reminiscent of an American football player's helmet. But all hats are individual, there is not a single repetition. All heads have elaborate ears, decorated with large earrings or ear inserts. Piercing of the earlobes was a typical tradition for all the ancient cultures of Mexico. One of the heads, the largest one from Rancho la Cobata, depicts a man with his eyes closed, all the other sixteen heads have their eyes wide open.

Those. each with a characteristic set of individual traits. We can say that the Olmec heads are images of specific people. But despite the individuality of the features, all the giant heads of the Olmecs are united by one common and mysterious feature. The portraits of the people depicted on these sculptures have pronounced Negroid features: a wide flattened nose with large nostrils, plump lips and large eyes. Such features do not fit in with the main anthropological type of the ancient population of Mexico. In Olmec art, whether it be sculpture, relief or small plastic, in most cases the typical Indian appearance characteristic of the American race is reflected.

But not on giant heads. Such Negroid features were noted by the first researchers from the very beginning. This led to the emergence of various hypotheses: from assumptions about the migration of immigrants from Africa to statements that such a racial type was characteristic of the most ancient inhabitants of Southeast Asia, who were part of the first settlers to America. However, this problem was rather quickly "released on the brakes" by representatives of official science. It was too inconvenient to think that there could have been any contacts between America and Africa at the very dawn of civilization. The official theory did not imply them.

And if so, then the Olmec heads are images of local rulers, after whose death such original memorial monuments were made. But Olmec heads are really a unique phenomenon for ancient America. In the Olmec culture itself, there are still similar analogies, i.e. sculpted human heads. But unlike the 17 "Negro" heads, they depict portraits of people of a typical American race, are smaller and made in accordance with a completely different pictorial canon. There is nothing similar in other cultures of ancient Mexico. In addition, one can ask a simple question: if these are images of local rulers, then why are there so few of them, if we talk about the thousand-year history of the Olmec civilization?

And what about the problem of negroid traits? Whatever the theories prevailing in historical science assert, there are also facts in addition to them. An Olmec vessel in the form of a seated elephant is kept in the Anthropological Museum of Xalapa (Veracruz). It is considered proven that elephants in America disappeared with the end of the last glaciation, i.e. about 12 thousand years ago. But the elephant was known to the Olmecs, so much so that it was even depicted in figured ceramics. Either elephants still lived in the Olmec era, which contradicts paleozoological data, or Olmec masters were familiar with African elephants, which contradicts modern historical views.

But the fact remains, you can, if not feel it with your hands, then see it with your own eyes in the museum. Unfortunately, academic science diligently bypasses such awkward "trifles". In addition, in the last century, in different parts of Mexico, and on monuments with traces of the influence of the Olmec civilization (Monte Alban, Tlatilco), burials were discovered, the skeletons in which anthropologists identified as belonging to the Negroid race.

Giant Olmec heads ask researchers a lot of paradoxical questions. One of the heads from San Lorenzo has an inner tube connecting the sculpture's ear and mouth. How could such a complex internal channel be made in a monolithic basalt block 2.7 m high using primitive (not even metal) tools? Geologists who have studied the Olmec heads have determined that the basalt from which the heads at La Venta were made came from quarries in the Tuxtla Mountains, which, measured in a straight line, are 90 kilometers away.

How did the ancient Indians, who did not even know the wheel, transported stone monolithic blocks weighing 10-20 tons over rough terrain. American archaeologists believe that the Olmecs could use reed rafts, which, along with the cargo, were floated down the river to the Gulf of Mexico, and already along the coast they delivered basalt blocks to their urban centers. But the distance from the Tuxtla quarries to the nearest river is about 40 km, and this is a dense swampy jungle.

In some myths about the creation of the world, which have survived to this day from various Mexican peoples, the emergence of the first cities is associated with newcomers from the north. According to one version, they sailed in boats from the north and landed near the Panuco River, then went along the coast to Potonchan at the mouth of Jalisco (the ancient center of the Olmecs, La Venta, is located in this area). Here the aliens exterminated the local giants and founded the first cultural center of Tamoanchan mentioned in the legends.

According to another myth, seven tribes came from the north to the Mexican highlands. Two peoples already lived here - the Chichimecs and the Giants. Moreover, the giants inhabited the lands to the east of modern Mexico City - the regions of Puebla and Cholula. Both peoples led a barbaric way of life, obtained food by hunting and ate raw meat. Newcomers from the north expelled the Chichemecs, and exterminated the giants. Thus, according to the mythology of a number of Mexican peoples, the giants were the forerunners of those who created the first civilizations in these territories. But they could not resist the aliens, and were destroyed. By the way, a similar situation took place in the Middle East and it is described in sufficient detail in the Old Testament.

Mentions of a race of ancient giants that preceded historical peoples are found in many Mexican myths. So the Aztecs believed that the earth was inhabited by giants in the era of the First Sun. They called the ancient giants "kiname" or "kinametine". The Spanish chronicler Bernardo de Sahagun identified these ancient giants with the Toltecs and believed that it was they who erected the giant pyramids at Teotehuacan and Cholula.

Bernal Diaz, a member of the Cortes expedition, wrote in his book “The Conquest of New Spain” that after the conquistadors entrenched themselves in the city of Tlaxcala (east of Mexico City, Puebla region), the local Indians told them that in very ancient times people settled in this area great stature and strength. But because they had a bad temper and bad customs, the Indians exterminated them. In support of their words, the inhabitants of Tlaxcala showed the Spaniards the bone of an ancient giant. Diaz writes that it was a femur and its length was equal to the height of Diaz himself. Those. the growth of these giants was more than three times the height of an ordinary person.

In addition, from various sources it is clear that the ancient giants inhabited a certain territory, namely the eastern part of central Mexico up to the coast of the Gulf of Mexico. It is quite legitimate to assume that the giant heads of the Olmecs symbolized the victory over the race of giants and the winners erected these monuments in the centers of their cities in order to perpetuate the memory of the defeated predecessors. On the other hand, how can such an assumption be reconciled with the fact that all giant Olmec heads have individual facial features?

Maybe those researchers who believe that giant heads were portraits of rulers are right? But the study of paradoxical phenomena is always complicated by the fact that such historical phenomena rarely fit into the system of customary logic. That's why they are paradoxical. Moreover, myths, like any historical source, are subject to influences dictated by the current political situation. Mexican myths were written down by Spanish chroniclers in the 16th century. Information about events that happened dozens of centuries before that time could be transformed several times. The image of the giants could be distorted to please the winners. Why not assume that the giants were rulers in the Olmec cities for some time? And why not also assume that this ancient people of giants belonged to the Negroid race?

The ancient Ossetian epic "Tales of the Narts" is all imbued with the theme of the struggle of the Narts with the giants. They were called Waigi. But, what is most interesting, they were called black waigs. And although the epic never mentions the skin color of the Caucasian giants, the adjective "black", in relation to the waigs, is used in the epic as a qualitative, and not as a figurative concept. Of course, such a comparison of facts relating to the ancient history of peoples so remote from each other may seem too bold. But our knowledge of remote epochs is too scarce.

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What is the history of mankind? The question may seem rather strange, because everyone is well aware of the official theory of the development of mankind and individual peoples of the world, which is taught in various educational institutions. Undoubtedly, all the statements put forward by science have a real evidence base, however, what about the fact that it does not fit a little into this very official theory of the development of the world. After all, there are more and more artifacts in the world that cast doubt on the official version of the origin of the world and humanity.

Suffice it to recall various strange finds around the world: figurines of aircraft found in the pyramids of the Indians of South America, rock carvings detailing the stay of man in space, and many others, to ask the question, how is the existence of such artifacts possible? There is no answer to this question, official science simply shrugged it off or simply pretends that such things do not exist. In this article, we will consider another amazing mystery that takes place on our planet.

Civilizations of South America

The most famous civilizations of South America are the Incas and Maya, it was the descendants of these nations that the brave conquistadors so ruthlessly converted to Christianity, taking out countless treasures along the way, destroying the most valuable artifacts that could shed light on the history of all mankind.

So, few people know that the ancestors of these cultures were not pioneers, but built their empires on the remains of an older civilization, which, according to the few references that have survived, is called the Olmec. Most of the architectural monuments became the property of the Incas or Mayans precisely after the Olmecs disappeared from the continent for inexplicable reasons. In 1862, the Mexican Melgar José sketched an interesting discovery that he made by chance during his travels. Not far from the village of Tres Zapotes, he discovered a stone head of a man, the facial features of the statue very much resembled the appearance of an African American. The find aroused interest in the society, which soon disappeared and everyone forgot about the find.

In 1925, archaeologists Blom and La Farge undertook an expedition to a remote island, which was surrounded by swamps. It was there that a second head and a giant pyramid were discovered. This discovery allowed the whole world to learn about civilization - the Olmecs.

Ancient people

In the next few years, various interesting finds took place, confirming the theory about the existence of a civilization that lived in South America before the emergence of the Inca and Mayan settlements. So, in 1939, near the town of Tres Zapotes, archaeologist Matthew Stirling discovered several interesting artifacts. In addition to a huge head carved from stone, various clay tablets with inscriptions on them were found, as well as a cone-shaped pyramid. On one of the found clay tablets there were images related to the life story of the god Jaguar. After lengthy research, it became clear that this story formed the basis of Maya mythology and was subsequently developed by them.

Scientists have come to the conclusion that before the appearance of the Maya, a nation already lived in this territory. The civilization was distinguished by a high degree of development, was able to process solid materials, had its own written language and a developed system of myths. The new culture was called the Olmecs. Subsequently, more stone heads were found, thanks to which this culture became widely known.

Over time, even more interesting artifacts were discovered, which indicated that a thousand years before our era, the Olmec people already had running water, and small artificial lagoons where they bred crocodiles. A whole city was also discovered, where archaeologists discovered many sculptures made at a high technological level. Michael Coe, a well-known historian, believes that this culture arose 3,000 years before our era. To date, 17 heads have been discovered, but the appearance of these stone sculptures is of particular interest.

Who posed for the sculptor?

Of course, the heads themselves are important artifacts, because they depict the faces of the rulers of the people, but what really causes bewilderment in the scientific community is the appearance of these very portraits. The appearance of all the sculptures has special characteristic features - a flattened nose, plump lips, in general, these images are similar to the inhabitants of Africa. In the scientific world, a theory immediately arose according to which there was a sea communication between the coasts of Africa and South America. During the experiment, it was proved that it was possible to cross the Atlantic on the papyrus boat "Ra", which was used by the ancient Egyptians.

There are many versions regarding the origin of this people, some, as mentioned above, believe that they are immigrants from Egypt, some historians generally suggested that this culture has Asian roots, due to the fact that a painted dragon predominates in the images on various objects found, which is very similar to a relative from China.

Some suggest that the Olmecs are a small nation that lived high in the mountains, but then descended to the plain and quickly subdued the scattered Indian tribes that lived in this territory.

Due to the lack of facts that could confirm one of the above theories, the heated scientific disputes soon ceased, and the long-awaited peace came. Scientists came to the only conclusion that was neutral and satisfied the majority - the Olmecs, the very first, formed culture in South America. Everything would be fine if in 1991, Professor Lara did not receive a picture dating from 1951, it depicted a stone head, which was absolutely different from all similar artifacts found before.

strange head

As mentioned above, the first report regarding the discovery of the artifact was made in 1991, but by that time a series of civil wars had passed in Guatemala, where this item was located. In 1992, an expedition to the jungle took place, when Professor Lara got to the alleged place of discovery of this item, more than 40 years passed and what was his disappointment when, having found this stone head, he found that it was completely damaged. It had a lot of marks from bullets of different calibers. The nose, mouth, eyes - everything was destroyed, there was only one photograph of the statue and the hope of finding a similar artifact someday. What was so striking in this find that it became the subject of discussions that do not subside even now. Stone heads are often found in South America, even the features of the faces of ancient rulers, who are very similar to the inhabitants of Africa, are not very disturbing to researchers. It was the stone head from the Guatemalan jungle that made us reconsider the entire history of the peoples inhabiting South America. The facial features of this stone statue have nothing to do with the appearance of the modern inhabitants of the countries of South America, but they also do not look like the Olmecs.

So, in the photograph, the stone head has large eyes, narrow thin lips and a large, straight nose. It turns out that this image represents a completely different nation that lived here, completely different from the Olmecs, Mayans, Incas and Aztecs. But the question arises, what kind of people are they who left behind practically no material artifacts and simply disappeared. Scientists examining the remains of a stone head came to the conclusion that the stone was processed more than 7000 years BC. Unlike later Olmec forgeries, which used soft stone to create sculptures, this sculpture is made from a single piece of hard rock. Despite all the millennia, scientists have found that the head was made with tools that cut the stone quite easily. Perfect lines, lack of chips suggest that the people who made this figure used technology that was not available to subsequent civilizations. In addition, scientists have come to the conclusion that the stone itself was brought here from the Andes, which is completely impossible.

Thus, the existence of this artifact allows us to reconsider the history of the peoples who inhabited South America, it is possible that the Olmecs simply came to a ready-made civilizational foundation and only took advantage of the developments of another civilization.

As a civilization, the Olmecs originated about three thousand years ago. Archaeological finds, of course, confirm their existence, however, scientists have not yet unraveled the secrets of either their origin or death. The Olmecs lived on the modern coast of the Gulf of Mexico. It is believed that this Indian empire was the earliest culture of Central America. Legends find confirmation that the Olmecs were the progenitors of other Meso-American civilizations.

Culture of ancient civilization

Translated from the Mayan language, from the historical chronicles of which the name "Olmec" is taken, it literally means "inhabitants of the country of rubber."

For several hundred years, this civilization has developed scientific knowledge. Having existed for a short time, they were able to develop science to unprecedented heights. Her inventions include the Olmec calendar based on unique ideas about mathematics and astronomy. It was built on the basis of the cyclical nature of the universe, including long epochs of 5000 years, as well as knowledge about the cycles of other planets, the length of the day and year. He was the prototype of the famous Mayan calendar, which also interpreted astronomical phenomena. Unfortunately, the richest cultural and mythological heritage, the crown of which is considered to be, has practically not been preserved: the Olmecs switched from worshiping various totemic animals to worshiping gods - humanoid images that are the embodiment of the forces of nature.

Giant stone heads of people with Negroid features and weighing 30 tons each have been discovered since 1930. Carved from solid basalt, they have perfect proportions, are processed with the highest precision and have carefully drawn facial features. The sculptures rest on a platform of raw stone layers. Scientists in the process of research came to the conclusion that the heads were carved around 1500 BC, and possibly earlier. Experts say that these are images of idols, the memory of the great masters of that time, which was created by the Olmec civilization. The Olmecs were equal and followed the established order of further Indian tribes.

However, as already mentioned, there is no evidence of the evolution of this mysterious civilization: any drawings, records, or just things. The conclusion suggests itself that this civilization appeared out of nowhere fully developed. Scientists literally bit by bit search for and try to structure information about their social organization, mythology, rituals. Still, it was possible to discover that the Olmecs were an agricultural civilization, like all later cultures of Ancient America. Also, their areas of activity were fishing and agriculture, which allowed them to flourish. Time and history have mercilessly destroyed Indian heritage. Neither the linguistic nor the ethnic identity of the Olmecs is known, only hypotheses. The architectural structures found and studied indicate that the Olmecs were remarkable engineers.

Jaguar cult

It is believed that it was the representatives of this civilization who first began to worship the jaguar. Later, this cult is also found among other ancient civilizations of both Central and North and South America. The jaguar was revered as the patron saint of agriculture, believing that he unwittingly contributed to the preservation of crops, scaring away other animals that prefer a plant-based diet. Among the ancient peoples, this predator was considered the master of the universe, and, accordingly, was deified. The cult dedicated to this supreme deity has become a completely new mythological system. The Olmecs represented all their gods in the form of a jaguar. This animal personified strength, royalty and independence, became fertility and natural phenomena and, importantly, was a guide to the world, as it led a predominantly nocturnal lifestyle.

The Olmecs themselves equated themselves with the jaguar, according to the legend of the union of the deity jaguar with an earthly woman. The giant sculptures depicted an image in which there were both the features of a ferocious jaguar and the features of a crying child.

There is a legend that has survived to this day about the appearance of the first jaguars. In one village there lived a woman and she had two sons. One of them was a good hunter, the other was cunning and enterprising. So he made a mask of a ferocious animal, painted it and began to hunt in it. Then, bringing the prey to the hut, he took off his mask and plunged an arrow into the carcass. Another brother decided to find out what was the matter. Followed and did all the same, and then decided to go through the village, instilling fear in its inhabitants. And then the unbelievable happened - the mask grew to him. The brother-hunter became furious and tore to pieces all the inhabitants of the village, except for his mother. She persuaded him to leave to live in the forest. This son became the ancestor of other jaguars, which sometimes could turn into people and back. the gods who ruled over people and jaguars were also common.

Also, the were-jaguar was represented as a deity of rain, one of the most famous gods of that time. Shamans used the appearance of the jaguar in totems. It was believed that the totem symbolizes the forest. Not all shamans obeyed such a totem. Only a strong and powerful shaman could transform into an animal in a ritual dance and had the ability to control it. Also, shamans were able to cure diseases, bring good luck on the hunt and even predict the future. Since those ancient times, jaguar people have been simply terribly afraid. A mysterious cult associated with a possible reincarnation appeared, the followers of which were cruelly branded with a special needle, the marks from it looked like marks from the claws of an animal.

In some way, another legend was connected with the jaguar. In one of the tribes, a young unmarried girl became pregnant in a completely miraculous way. The elders of the tribe did not believe in the miracle and were looking for someone who should be punished for seduction. However, the oldest and wisest elder confirmed the miraculous conception from heaven itself - a lightning strike. Everyone began to look forward to the birth of the sacred children. But one day a misfortune happened, a jaguar attacked the girl and tore her apart, but the children managed to be born, they fell into the river. The grandmother of the Jaguars, and it was she, found the babies and raised them in atonement for having killed their mother. She named those extraordinary kids the Sun and. The children grew up and became the founders of a new tribe - the Olmecs appeared.

Civilization eventually disappeared, its mythological images were swallowed up by the Maya - the next great civilization. They have a jaguar - the deity became the patron of war and hunting. The royal Mayan dynasties considered this animal a sacred ancestor. Their most popular names were Jaguar Cedar, Jaguar Night, Dark Jaguar. The chiefs wore the skins of jaguars as the supreme power, and helmets in the shape of the heads of this beast. Representatives of another powerful civilization - the Aztecs believed that the first of the four eras of the universe was the era of jaguars, who exterminated the giants who inhabited the earth at that time. There were also temples dedicated to the Jaguar god, whose spotted skin resembled a celestial star pattern.

In the mythology of the Olmecs, there were also other motives - the acquisition of maize, here God is the benefactor of mankind, extracts maize grains hidden in the mountains. A motif is developed about the confrontation between the old god and the deity of maize.

Unfortunately, the theory that the Olmecs are a structural civilization is not actually confirmed, but is a statement of the conjectures of specialists. But even according to the few data that have come down to us after thousands of years, it can be assumed that this civilization did not disappear without a trace - its legacy was assimilated and absorbed by the subsequent great Mayan and Aztec civilizations.

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As a civilization, the Olmecs originated about three thousand years ago. Archaeological finds, of course, confirm their existence, however, scientists have not yet unraveled the secrets of either their origin or death. The Olmecs lived on the modern coast of the Gulf of Mexico. It is believed that this Indian empire was the earliest culture of Central America. In legends, they find confirmation that the Olmecs were the progenitors of others ...