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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 figure.
In the Olmec culture the mask was considered an
icon of transformation. It makes visible the
charismatic and shamanic power of the wearer;
who was either a ruler or shaman. Often the
mask has an expression of an otherworldly
nature, as if submerged in an ecstatic trance. A
mask will never change, it is unaffected by
emotion or time, and will forever express the
virtues the sculptor endowed upon it. This
quality of the eternal appealed to Olmec rulers.
The sheer power of this stone mask is
monumental in scope. There is a sense it is a
product of nature, elemental and beyond
comprehension. Yet, a very skilled sculptor was
needed to carve the intricate designs. This is not
difficult to imagine given its almost primordial
character, which seems to come from another
dimension. In many respects the Olmec
themselves seem not to have been of this world;
and objects such as this extraordinary mask
appear as living proof. Today, masks are worn
mostly for the fun of Halloween parties or the
profit of robbing banks. In either case their
purpose is simply to conceal the identity of the
wearer. The peoples of ancient cultures, however,
believed that masks were magical and that by
donning one the wearer actually became the god,
demon or animal it represented and was,
therefore, endowed with all its powers of good or
evil. Masks of every conceivable non- perishable
material and varying sizes have been found all
over Mexico. The earliest we know of were made
of clay but it is probable that others made of
gourds or even paper have not survived. Jade, as
the symbol of life and the most precious
substance known, was often used for the most
prestigious kings and powerful gods. Masks were
frequently laid over the faces or on the chests of
the dead. Though their actual purpose is
obscure, at least one, that found in the tomb of
a Pakal, ruler of Palenque, seems to have been a
true portrait of the deceased.
- (CK.0785)
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