8 characteristics of Olmec SCULPTURE

The characteristics of Olmec sculpture are that it was a monumental sculpture, large heads They are its most prominent element, they use stone... At unProfesor we tell you.

The word “Olmec” is an Aztec word that means “inhabitant of the rubber region”, a tree from the Moraceae family highly valued for its resin. There is no evidence that they called themselves by this name, considering that this term was used by refer to the inhabitants of the area of ​​Veracruz and Tabasco. On the other hand, the term was also used by archaeologists of the 20th century to refer to a specific culture, the Nahuatl Olmec-Xicalanca, possibly related to the Olmec.

In this lesson from unPROFESOR.com we delve into this Mesoamerican artistic style and tell you what the characteristics of Olmec sculpture.

Before delving fully into knowing the characteristics of Olmec sculpture, we are going to delve slightly into this Mesoamerican civilization. The Olmecs stood out during the period called Lower Preclassic, between 1600-1000 BC. C, for its ability to work and transport sculptures of colossal size.

Thus, it is considered that they were the creators of a Mesoamerican architectural and sculptural style of which there is considerable archaeological evidence, specifically between the area located between Jalisco and Costa Rica, especially on the southern coast of the Gulf of Mexico.

A civilization that is defined as theocratic and polytheistic, with gods of an agricultural nature, in addition, the Olmecs had sacred animals such as the jaguar, alligators or toads and a variety of magical beings. This civilization was led by rulers who inherited their position and were at the top of the political and social system. A system of ideas and beliefs that were captured in some huge stone sculptures.

Here we discover you what was the olmec culture like so that you better understand this pre-Columbian civilization, as well as the main contributions of the Olmec culture to the rest of civilizations.

Olmec sculpture is one of the most outstanding artistic manifestations of Olmec culture, considered as the “mother culture” or primitive civilization that laid the foundations of societies Mesoamerican.

Between the main characteristics of Olmec sculpture we can highlight the following:

1. Is a monumental sculpture. One of the main features of the Olmec civilization was its monumental sculpture, handling the volume with mastery, in addition to simplifying the shapes and adapting them to the volume and colossal shapes of the stones. They also have a very careful sense of proportion.
2. Some of the most representative pieces of Olmec sculpture are the colossal stone heads. Some heads of which 17 specimens have been found in the Olmec area. They are characterized by having almond-shaped and semi-closed eyes, thick lips and wide noses. The figures are wearing a type of helmet that is supposed to be the attire of rulers or deities. These sculptures were between 2.4 and 3.6 meters high. The majority are located in the cities of La Venta and San Lorenzo.
3. Another characteristic of Olmec sculpture is that the main themes were the human being, with representations of the theocratic government and the cosmos, fantastic beings and a small number of realistic animals.
4. The types of sculptures made by the Olmecs were the thrones or altars, tombstones, blocks, discs, sarcophagi, stelae, fountains and a wide variety of architectural elements.
5. The figures are bulk sculptures, that is, large three-dimensional figures, among which, in addition to the colossal heads, we can also find figures of humanized beings, wild animals such as jaguars, birds or reptiles, as well as hybrids of beings fantastic.
6. Olmec sculptures revolve around representations that have a religious meaning, in addition to also representing warriors and weapons. Sculptures that contain information about the oldest roots of the Olmec culture, messages from priests and rulers in which ideological changes are transmitted.
7. Another of the main characteristics of Olmec sculpture are the materials used, which were stone, especially the hardest ones such as, for example, basalt, obsidian and andesite. Materials that tell us about the interest of the Olmecs in making lasting creations. Furthermore, some of the figurines, especially the funerary masks or the sculptures of the jaguar man, were made of a material as precious as the jade.
8. The most outstanding sculptures have been recovered from archeological sites and are exhibited in museums such as Museum of Anthropology of Xalapa, the Museum of La Venta or National Museum of Anthropology.

Furthermore, it is important to keep in mind that no evidence has been located regarding the existence of written language among the Olmecs. A language that, like Mayan hieroglyphs, helps us decipher what these works mean. Its location in relation to architecture can help us understand its relevance. Here we help you understand the Olmec writing, a very complex system of symbols.