Mesoamerica - Olmecs - Part 1

I was just thinking, some of my posts would probably resemble most the history lessons you had at school. Basics. While I'm definitely in search for recent research, sometimes history is just that - history. The collection of facts that you need to know if you want to analyse anything.

Of all ancient civilizations, Mesoamerican Indians are one of the most fascinating. Different theories have emerged over the years about their culture and way of life. A lot of controversy. A lot of guessing.

Now to the history lesson (don't worry, I'll write about aliens as well, give it time). One of the most commonly known Mesoamerican peoples are Aztecs. When people refer to their culture, not many realise that the Aztec culture did not exist until the 13th century, and lasted for about a hundred years until the Spanish conquest. First men, however, existed in Mesoamerica prior to 20,000 BC, and by 3,000 BC Mesoamerican preindustrial civilizations developed.

The Olmec empire, most advanced of those civilizations, among other things are famous for their art. They were the first to use production surplus to erect monumental architecture and stone sculpture. Their carvings are known for their size as well as for their naturalism.

The colossal heads are one of the most recognizable symbols of Olmecs, range from 3.4 m high to 1.47, weighing from 20 to 40 tonnes. Even today, speculations exist around the nature of the sculptures, and the way they were transported. Made of volcanic basalt found in the mountains, they had to be moved about 80km away from where they were carved...

My new blog

This is my new blog, in addition to my professional blog. Here I will talk about something that interests deeply - ancient history, archaeology, civilizations of the past.

I'd like to create a sort of a knowledge repository on ancient civilizations. My posts will probably not lead to new discoveries, but they will certainly be interesting. For me. And, perhaps, for you too.