thumb|"The Grandmother", La Venta (reproduction). Officially known as Monument 5, this statue is thought to represent a kneeling "baby-face" figure.

La Venta is a pre-Columbian archaeological site of the Olmec civilization located in the present-day Mexican state of Tabasco. Some of the artifacts have been moved to the museum , which is in nearby Villahermosa, the capital of Tabasco.

Overview

The Olmec were one of the first civilizations to develop in the Americas. Chronologically, the history of the Olmecs can be divided into the Early Formative (1800-900 BCE), Middle Formative (900-400 BCE) and Late Formative (400 BCE-200AD). The Olmecs are known as the "mother culture" of Mesoamerica, meaning that the Olmec civilization was the first culture that spread and influenced Mesoamerica. The spread of Olmec culture eventually led to cultural features found throughout all Mesoamerican societies.

Rising from the sedentary agriculturalists of the Gulf Lowlands as early as 1600 BCE in the Early Formative period, the Olmecs held sway in the Olmec heartland, an area on the southern Gulf of Mexico coastal plain, in Veracruz and Tabasco. Prior to the site of La Venta, the first Olmec site of San Lorenzo dominated the modern day state of Veracruz (1200-900 BCE).

Roughly long and wide, with the Coatzalcoalcos River system running through the middle, the heartland is home to the major Olmec sites of La Venta, San Lorenzo Tenochtitlán, Laguna de los Cerros, and Tres Zapotes.

left|thumb|The Olmec Heartland, showing La Venta.By no later than 1200 BCE, San Lorenzo had emerged as the most prominent Olmec center. While a layer of occupation at La Venta dates to 1200 BCE, La Venta did not reach its apogee until the decline of San Lorenzo, after 900 BCE. After 500 years of pre-eminence, La Venta was all but abandoned by the beginning of the fourth century BCE.

Located on an island in a coastal swamp overlooking a former river, the Río Palma, or Río Barí, La Venta probably controlled a region between the Mezcalapa and Coatzacoalcos rivers. The site itself is about inland at an elevation of less than 10 meters above sea level with the island consisting of slightly more than of dry land, resting on the largest alluvial plane in Mexico. The humid tropical climate of La Venta has an average annual temperature of 26 degrees Celsius and an average annual rainfall of 2,000 millimeters. La Venta is located at the nexus of four different ecosystems: marshes, mangrove swamps, tropical forest, and the Gulf of Mexico.

"There was a large resident population at the site, a number of specialists not dedicated to food production, and political, religious, economic, and/or military relations with other sites within its area of influence." "Little more than half of the ancient city survived modern disturbances enough to map accurately."

Also unearthed in Complex A were three rectangular mosaics (also known as "Pavements") each roughly and each consisting of up to 485 blocks of serpentine. These blocks were arranged horizontally to form what has been variously interpreted as an ornate Olmec bar-and-four-dots motif, the Olmec Dragon, a very abstract jaguar mask, Not intended for display, soon after completion these pavements were covered over with colored clay and then many feet of earth.

Five formal tombs were discovered within Complex A, one with a sandstone sarcophagus carved with what seemed to be an crocodilian earth monster. This plaza is nearly long and over wide. A small platform is situated in the center of the plaza.

This layout has led researchers to propose that the platforms surrounding the plaza functioned as stages where ritual drama was enacted for viewers within the plaza. These rituals were likely related to the "altars", monuments, and the stelae surrounding and within the plaza. These monuments, including Colossal Head 1 (Monument 1), were of such a large size and were placed in such a position that they could convey their messages to many viewers at once. The case has also been made that the monumental art itself recount a creation narrative.

Complex E

Though there are not any actual houses remaining in this area, or anywhere at La Venta, according to Rebecca Gonzalez-Lauck, "a chemical evaluation of the soil revealed unusual concentrations of phosphate, indicating the possibility it had been a residential zone." Alternatively, some believe the side figures to be bound captives.

Altar 5 faces Altar 4 across Structure D-8 (one of the dozens of mounds at La Venta, the remains of platforms). Altar 5 is similar in design and size to Altar 4, except that the central figure holds an inert, perhaps dead, were-jaguar baby. The left side of Altar 5 features bas-reliefs of humans holding quite lively were-jaguar babies. Like the Altar 4, the right side of Altar 5 has been defaced.

Some have seen child sacrifice echoed in the limp were-jaguar baby on the front of Altar 5. Others, however, view the tableau as a myth of human emergence or as story of a spiritual journey.

Although less striking and displaying a lesser degree of craftsmanship, Altars 2 and 3 are similar to Altars 4 and 5. They each show a central figure, one with a baby and one without, and they sit facing each other on the southern edge of the Great Pyramid.

Social structure

La Venta was the cultural capital of the Olmec concentration in the region. It contained a "concentration of power," as reflected by the sheer scale of the architecture and the extreme value of the artifacts uncovered.

It has been estimated that La Venta would need to be supported by a population of at least 18,000 people during its principal occupation. In addition, excavations over the years have discovered that different parts of the site were likely reserved for elites and other parts for non-elites. This segregation of the city indicates that there must have been social classes and therefore social inequality. Most of what is known about Olmec religion is speculative, but certain patterns do emerge at La Venta that are certainly symbolic and might have ritual meaning. For example, the crossed bands symbol, an X in a rectangular box, is often repeated in stone at La Venta, other Olmec sites, and continued to have significance to the cultures inspired by the Olmec. It often appears in conjunction with the maize deity and so might have connection with subsistence.

The artifacts discovered at La Venta have been crucial to starting to understand Olmec religion and ideology. For example, hematite and iron-ore mirror fragments have been discovered in abundance at La Venta. Mirrors were an incredibly important part of Olmec society, used in both rituals and daily life.

Basalt rock was brought in from the Tuxtla Mountains to make stone monuments. Whether or not this is an example of trade with another culture is uncertain. La Venta had a strong concentration of specialized craftsmen and so it is entirely possible that more goods were exported than imported. This local exchange, and the resulting relationship system, is important, though, because it increased and consolidated the power of the elites with luxury goods and feasting foods like cacao and maize beer.

Chronology

"Because of extremely poor viewing conditions in the tropical rainforest, different parts of La Venta were discovered piecemeal, and it was decades before scholars realized that all the platforms and stone sculptures found in the vicinity were part of a single site, an ancient city that was occupied from 900-400 BCE."

The incident prompted Mexican legislators to draft legislation "that would increase fines and jail time for vandalism and looting of monuments and archaeological sites."

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File:Altar 8 Museo de sitio La Venta Tabasco.jpg | Altar 8

File:Figurilla zoomorfa olmeca, Museo de sitio La Venta Tabasco.jpg | Zoomorphic Olmec figurine, likely an incense burner

File:Figurillas de barro Museo de sitio La Venta Tabasco.jpg | Anthropomorphic Olmec figurines

File:Hachas e instrumentos para trabajo de madera Museo de sitio La Venta Tabasco.jpg | Collection of stone axes and other cutting tools

File:Hachas museo de sitio la Venta Tabasco.jpg | Collection of stone axes

File:Instrumentos de molienda Museo de sitio La Venta Tabasco.jpg | Collection of metates and grinding tools

File:Manufactura de hachas museo de sitio la Venta Tabasco.jpg | Explanation of stone axe manufacturing

File:Monumento 25-26 Museo de sitio La Venta Tabasco.jpg | Monument 25-26

File:Monumento 80 Museo de sitio La Venta Tabasco.jpg | Monument 80

File:Monumento 88 Museo de sitio La Venta Tabasco.jpg | Monument 88

File:Monumento 89 Museo de sitio La Venta Tabasco.jpg | Monument 89

File:Planta de casa-habitación excavada Museo de sitio La Venta Tabasco.jpg | Reconstruction of an Olmec dwelling floor plan

File:Estela 5 Museo de sitio La Venta Tabasco.jpg | Stela 5, made of serpentine

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See also

  • Olmec influences on Mesoamerican cultures
  • List of Mesoamerican pyramids
  • List of megalithic sites
  • History of Mexico

References

  • The DeLanges visit La Venta - photos of Complex A