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The Olmecs are generally considered to be the ultimate ancestor of all subsequent
Mesoamerican civilisations. Thriving between about 1200 and 400 BC, their base was the
tropical lowlands of south central Mexico, an area characterized by swamps punctuated
by low hill ridges and volcanoes. Here the Olmecs practiced advanced farming techniques
and constructed many permanent settlements. Their influence, both cultural and political,
extended far beyond their boundaries; the exotic nature of Olmec designs became
synonymous with elite status in other (predominantly highland) groups, with evidence for
exchange of artefacts in both directions. Other than their art (see below), they are
credited with the foundations of writing systems (the loosely defined Epi-Olmec period, c.
500 BC), the first use of the zero – so instrumental in the Maya long count vigesimal
calendrical system – and they also appear to have been the originators of the famous
Mesoamerican ballgame so prevalent among later cultures in the region. The art form for
which the Olmecs are best known, the monumental stone heads weighing up to forty
tons, are generally believed to depict kingly leaders or possibly ancestors. Other symbols
abound in their stylistic repertoire, including several presumably religious symbols such
as the feathered serpent and the rain spirit, which persisted in subsequent and related
cultures until the middle ages.
Comparatively little is known of their magico-religious world, although the clues that we
have are tantalising. Technically, these include all non- secular items, of which there is a
fascinating array. The best- known forms are jade and ceramic figures and celts that
depict men, animals and fantastical beasts with both anthropomorphic and zoomorphic
characteristics. Their size and general appearance suggests that they were domestically-
or institutionally-based totems or divinities. The quality of production is astonishing,
particularly if one considers the technology available, the early date of the pieces, and the
dearth of earlier works upon which the Olmec sculptors could draw. Some pieces are
highly stylised, while others demonstrate striking naturalism with deliberate expressionist
interpretation of some facial features (notably up-turned mouths and slit eyes) that can
be clearly seen in the current mask.
This mask touches and exhilarates centers of life
beyond our present reality. It serves as a means
of transforming the ordinary to the
extraordinary, the natural to the supernatural.
The mask has always been used as a ritual agent
of transformation in Mesoamerica. The ritual
wearer of this mask, the shaman, not only
represented the God; he was the God. He
manifested the life force. Through that ritual
transformation joining the worlds of spirit and
nature, man and god fused in the zone of
mysterious transition marked by the mask itself.
This mask is the seat of the soul, where the
outer and inner worlds meet. We are left to
ponder over the mysteries of the universe hidden
behind this mask, and the awakened insights it
has brought to our own inner spirits. This mask
radiates energy from its sensitive dynamic
expression and clearly delineated physical
features. The Olmec artist's desire and ability to
idealize the human face as a purely natural form
of beauty and spirituality is marvelously
displayed here. Powerful forces originating in
the world of spirit seem to be embedded in the
mask. Spirituality is also hinted at by the slightly
downturn mouth and shaved teeth, suggestive,
of course, of the symbolic were-jaguar. It
evokes the ideal beauty of the human
countenance and man's basic spiritual nature.
The subtle and sensitive carving of this fantastic
work of art leaves us breathless. It is an
astounding work of art which makes our
imagination capable of conceiving the
inconceivable, the divine.
- (PF.4263)
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