The Olmec By Kyle

The Olmec’s

By Kyle O’Connor

Page1 Introduction Page 2 Mesoamerican Ball Game Page 3 Religion Page 4 Language and Writing Page 5 Art Page 6 Olmec Life Page 7 Introduction Essay Page 8 Essay about Ball Game Page 9 Essay about Religion

Introduction It was about 1200 B.C the Olmec’s started in the steamy rainforest of the southern Mexico and Central America. They were very, very wealthy. Read more about the amazing Olmec’s history.

Mesoamerican Ball Game

All Americans once said to be the oldest ball game in team sports in Americans ball game history. It was believed to be well known around 1500. Know one ever knew if the Olmec’s made up the game or if they got it from society. The ball games were played at large stadiums with hundreds of people watching.

The game stadiums were 120 feet by 30 feet or 36.6 meters by 19.14 meters. If thrown hard the ball could hurt the player or even kill him!

Religion The Olmec’s had a good connection with the super natural world. The priest or shamans had the power to change the super natural world.

The shamans were told to enter hallucinogenic drugs into their minds and their senses would be altered by the substance. These substances may make them see what they really might not see.

One other thing was going through piercing, on tongue, skin and, losing much blood. Shamans were told to turn into creature friend or family.

They thought that the shamans once entered the spirit place they control crops and other people of his village.

Language and Writing The Olmec kept track of days by a system called long count. The proof of the Olmec writing is mainly in four arts dated back to 323 B.C.E found by the Zapotes dated back to May, 21, 143 B.C.E found at San Lorenzo. A cylinder a solid thing bounded by a slanted and two straight lines circles of same size with carved glyphs. People used as symbols to stand as, ideas, or noises back to 650 B.C Most researchers thought the Olmec’s spoke an old mix of zoquean language which is still talked today in Mexico! Experts in Mesoamerican writing worked with popular Myans for a lot of years before tries began in terror of Olmec writing.

Many different Olmec facts date back to 1250 B.C.E and had not appeared before this time. Some researcher’s thought that there was a violent revolution at this time which rebels broke the Olmec’s monuments. Different people thought that they were being violent on these highly prized monuments based on the religious acts. So, it continuous to be great long distance trading was good for San Lorenzo.

Dear Journal, I am in the forest of Mexico. It is inn 600 B.C.E sitting in the crowd watching the Mesoamerican ball game. My dad says it’s too dangerous to play. But then I disguised myself as one of the players. Then my dad took the hat off I used to play with and said why would you do this?

I just wanted to play. Then he said, “You were great.”

Then I played every game for the rest of my life!

Essay Part One The Olmec people were able to adapt to their environment because they were good traders. They made their own entertainment and with their religion they had to adapt to their nature. Olmec made good things to trade. Like artifacts, art, and jewelry. They traded stuff like jade and serpentine. They also made stone carvings and they made art out of wood, and stone. A lot of tribes knew that was highly prized.

The Olmec made good art.

Mesoamerican A second reason they were able to adapt to their environment because they could entertain themselves. But they used very hard balls that could kill someone hitting them hard. They used their exercise to get fit and to survive. But they had to know how to play or could get killed if they lost. But it is fun after a long day’s work.

Third essay part A third reason is they adapted is their religion. The priest could control things with nature but they also built things near natural resources, like mountain or volcano’s.

They believed they could control crops to make them grow. These were the ways they connected nature by religion and trading.

Glossary Researcher- somebody who finds information

Ritual- thing you do daily

Monuments-statue of someone important

Glyphs- a picture