Olmec heartland

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The Olmec heartland. The yellow dots represent ancient habitation sites, while the red dots represent isolated artifact finds unassociated with any ancient town or village. Olmec Heartland Overview 4.svg
The Olmec heartland. The yellow dots represent ancient habitation sites, while the red dots represent isolated artifact finds unassociated with any ancient town or village.
The Wrestler, an Olmec era statuette, 1200 - 800 BCE. Art historian George Kubler finds that "the spiraling motion of the body, the multiplicity of profile, the coherent muscles, and the expressive estraint of the work set it apart as among the great works of sculpture of all ages". Michael Coe finds it "one of the supreme examples of Olmec art". The Wrestler (Olmec) by DeLange.jpg
The Wrestler , an Olmec era statuette, 1200 - 800 BCE. Art historian George Kubler finds that "the spiraling motion of the body, the multiplicity of profile, the coherent muscles, and the expressive estraint of the work set it apart as among the great works of sculpture of all ages". Michael Coe finds it "one of the supreme examples of Olmec art".

The Olmec heartland is the southern portion of Mexico's Gulf Coast region between the Tuxtla mountains and the Olmec archaeological site of La Venta, extending roughly 80 km (50 mi) inland from the Gulf of Mexico coastline at its deepest. It is today, as it was during the height of the Olmec civilization, a tropical lowland forest environment, crossed by meandering rivers.

Contents

Most researchers consider the Olmec heartland to be the home of the Olmec culture which became widespread over Mesoamerica from 1400 BCE until roughly 400 BCE. The area is also referred to as Olman or the Olmec Metropolitan Zone. [3]

The major heartland sites are:

Smaller sites include:

Important heartland finds not associated with any archaeological site include:

See also

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<i>The Wrestler</i> (sculpture)

The Wrestler is a basalt statuette dating back to between 1500 BCE and 400 BCE, which some believe to be one of the most important sculptures of the Olmec culture. The near life-size figure has been praised not only for its realism and sense of energy, but also for its aesthetic qualities. Since 1964, the sculpture has been part of the collection of the Museo Nacional de Antropología in Mexico City.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Olmec colossal heads</span> Stone representations of human heads from the Olmec civilization

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References

Literature

Notes

  1. Kubler, p. 133.
  2. Coe (1989) p. 78.
  3. See Diehl.

17°50′N94°38′W / 17.833°N 94.633°W / 17.833; -94.633