Olmec Religion

The religion of the Olmec people was a major influence on the social dynamics and mythological world views of every subsequent pre-Columbian Mesoamerican religion. The Olmecs were the first of many Mesoamerican civilizations. It developed on the southern Gulf Coast of present-day Mexico in the centuries prior to 1200 BCE and endured until roughly 400 BCE. There is no surviving primary sources describing the Olmec's religious beliefs. Scholars and archeologists instead rely on an analysis of Olmec iconography and art. They also study the later, better documented pre-Columbian cultures, as wel as the modern-day cultures of the indigenous peoples of the Americas (presuming that a continuity exists that extends from Olmec times through to the present era). This approach is known as the Continuity Hypothesis. Based on these techniques, researchers have extracted information about several Olmec deities and supernatural beings who embody the characteristics of various animals. Olmec religious activities were performed by a combination of rulers, full-time priests, and shamans. The rulers seem to have been most important to these activities. Kinship with the Olmec deities undergirded the legitimacy of their rulership. There is also considerable evidence in the archeological record supporting the existence of shamans. Early researchers hypothesized that Olmec religious beliefs centered around a jaguar god. This view was challenged in the 1970's by Peter David Joralemon, who posited what are now regarded as 8 different supernatural beings. Over time, Joralemon's viewpoint has become the dominant.. The study of Olmec religion, however, is still in its infancy. Any current list of Olmec deities is not definitive or comprehensive, but is only provisional. Additionally, attributes portrayed in surviving images are not uniform, but are extremely heterogeneous, nor do they exhibit sexual characteristics which would indicate any gender. Despite this high degree of ambiguity, however, a handful of possible Olmec deities have been tentatively identified. God One is the Olmec Dragon, also known as the Earth Monster. The dragon has flame eyebrows, a bulbous nose, a bifurcated tongue, and prominent fangs. Along with the Bird Monster, the Olmec Dragon is one of the most commonly depicted Olmec gods. God Two is the Maize deity, identified by the plants sprouting from its cleft head. God Three is the Rain Spirit and/or the Were-jaguar (a blend of human and jaguar characteristics). There is disagreement among researchers whether the Rain Spirit and were-jaguar are one distinct or two separate dieties. God Four is called the Banded-eye God, named for the narrow band that runs along the side of its face through its almond-shaped eye. Like many other deities, the Banded-eye God has a cleft head and a downturned mouth. Unlike the others, the Banded-eye God is only known from its profile. Rather than being a god in its own right, however, pre-Columbian scholar Karl Taube beleives that God Four is another aspect of the Maize God. God Five is the Feathered Serpent. The feathered, or plumed serpent is depicted throughout Mesoamerica but first appears in Olmec iconography. There is disagreement concerning its importance to the Olmec. God Six is the Fish or Shark Monster, most often recognized by its shark tooth. The head of the monster also features a crescent-shaped eye and a small lower jaw. When its full body is depicted in its entirety, the anthropomorphic Fish or Shark Monster also displays crossed bands, a dorsal fin, and a split tail.