00:00.00 archpodnet Hello and welcome back to the pseudo archeology podcast episode 103 the olmec stone heads and I thought right now we talk a little about the background of the all met culture right? The reality. Of who the allme were where did they live and what do they mean in terms of the greater greater meso american world notice I say greater mesoamerican world and that's really important because. Mesoamerica is an umbrella term for all the cultures that you'll find throughout Southern Mexico into Guatemala Belize Honduras el salvador and onward right? Mesoamerica Middle America so so many of these cultures are really related to each other the the maya the aztec the toll tech and the olmec and there's others too I'm just giving you some of the the most well known names these are. All interrelated cultures. They all kind of spring up and fall apart at different times throughout a really deep history but they're all interrelated. You know they all? um they all have a very similar pantheon of gods. 01:32.81 archpodnet They believe in the names are often the same the corn god is central in so much of this rain the idea of rain falling from the sky is so central to all these cultures in Mesoamerica and of course rain is related to corn. Um, when you look at all these the all Mac are often referred to as the mother culture and I think that's a fair assessment. They're kind of the ones that come first. They're the ones where you see these things for the first time you see. A corn god you see kind of a rain god you see this focus on corn corn as life corn as people so this mesoamerican mother culture dates wise. Um. Oh I'd say from about 1400 to 400 bc and that's that's pretty early. That's pretty early for for central america I know if you're used to egypt or something and the old kingdom starts it what is it twenty six eighty one Bc or something like that. Ah, yes, the the age culture is is quite quite ancient. But for the new world. Ah in Mesoamerica this is this is old. You know, 1400 to 400 bc and in this timeframe in this area of the isthmus of ta want to pack on the. 03:07.48 archpodnet Atlantic Coast you get these firsts. You know the the first large hundred foot tall pyramid in I think it's in the new world. Don't directly quote me on that. But I think I think the pyramid at la venta might be the first one if not it is early early early that that just there that monumental architecture monumental architecture is an amazing thing that that comes here and remember. Whether whether it's it's all my heads as african or maya pyramids being built by egyptians whatever remember that the fact that the olmec built a pyramid doesn't mean they had to have someone else show them how to do it. There is a thing called independent invention which is very common across the world meaning that if one culture figures something out. It's possible that another culture will figure out the exact same thing at a completely different time and place they don't need to have a connection and that's actually. Proven as you look at the structure of the pyramids themselves if you happen to compare new world pyramids like the olmec to egypt or something like that. The construction is totally different. Yes, they're triangular when you look at them but barring that. 04:39.75 archpodnet The the architecture is completely completely different. So not only do they have that this is the first time you see written language come up. The olmec had written language now in terms of translating it. All mec hieroglyphics are really rare and really difficult. It's not like the later maya for the Maya. We have all kinds of stuff. You know we're doing. We're doing really quite well in terms of translating Maya hieroglyphics this early olmec stuff. Is very difficult because it may not have been quite standardized yet meaning that yeah different areas had different hieroglyphics that they would use you know for for the same thing. So. That is an an extremely difficult yet interesting area of research you know, um, allmec hieroglyphics so rare to define that kind of stuff and of course when you have stuff like monumental architecture pyramids and written language hieroglyphics. 05:52.98 archpodnet That plus some kings and queens like you see in the olmec heads. You basically have a very complex state level society right? Really really impressive and so early to give you an idea on the dates. So the allmec from 1400 to 400 bc for the maya. The early part of the pre classic is sort of equal to that. But the maya when you think of big pyramids and stuff in the Maya world that stuff doesn't start to get going until a tick later than this I would say you know. Around when this olmec movement is sort of winding down around 400 bc that's when the maya are really starting to take off and a lot of the big pyramids in the my world are the big cities I should say when you think of them like to call or carak call is very famous palle a. those are all largely classic period sites which they're going to do a lot of building around 5060700 a d right? So it's much late as a thousand years later you know when a lot of those large myacities that you know, kind of come to fruition. The olmec are long gone by that point. And then for you guys who are curious the Aztec the aztec are very late. Okay, the aztec are doing their thing in the fourteen hundreds fifteen hundreds right right before contact and they are in Central Mexico so Mexico City is built literally built. 07:29.70 archpodnet On the remains of 10 know telan which is the aztec capital and and kind of the largest final flourish of this mesoamerican culture that goes back thousands of years so isn't it amazing. You know that we have the allmec. From oh a thousand b c or so and then onward to the maya in the early centuries a d and then onward to the aztec in the you know twelve hundred Thirteens 1400 s a d and you have a bunch of other cultures too. But they're all. Doing the corn thing. They're all having the rain thing they all have the popal voo or versions of it where that's the the creation mythology and you see this umbrella culture which is just an amazing dynamic aspect of the. Ancient world of central America. So with that aren't you just bumed when you hear this dumbass stuff about oh the lips on the sculpture are big so it must be african ah man you know. It just takes the air out of my balloon. You know what? I'm saying it does back to the fun with the olmec. So the olmec really have two. Um. 09:01.16 archpodnet Ancient cities that that are that are well-known the olme world again, they're they're first. They're the big first flourish of this culture. The maya have you know dozens and dozens of cities like this. But for the allmac there are 2 there's San Lorenzo and la venta San Lorenzo is earlier but 1400 to 1000 bc or so and then la venta comes later a thousand to about 500 Bc or so San Lorenzo is not that big inc if you compare it to a you know, big Maya City or something it's not it's it's more ah it's just lesser. You know it doesn't have huge pyramids or anything like that it does have structures. It is an organized central city. But it's small. You know, um and there are that's where actually most of the stone heads are found of the seventeen ten of them are from San Lorenzo isn't that cool it's kind of an earlier aspect of things right? you have these these large stone heads being constructed ah at at San Lorenzo around around a thousand bc so these stone heads are around 3000 years old it's pretty amazing and then. La venta which is larger than San Lorenzo um there are 4 stoneheads at la venta why are there 10 at the earlier place and only four at the newer bigger place I don't know you know we can talk about how maybe for the rulers as time passed they didn't need the stoneheads that much. 10:32.47 archpodnet There are several stone heads that are mutilated like they have holes in them that were done in antiquity. This is not recent stuff so there might have been you know uprisings by the people who just didn't want to take it anymore. Um, who's to say but it's It's really interesting to think about these really really old things I I think ah I'm showing my interest because I never deal with this I'm always sitting there with the ancient my job this stuff when I'm looking at my broken pot shirts. They're all from like you know, 700 a d ah whenever I talk about. Stuff from central america that's from a thousand bc I'm like wow that's really really amazing. So and la event to although it only has 4 colossal heads. Ah it is the place that has the quote unquote great pyramid. It is a hundred feet tall it is made out of earth. So it is um, basically just ah, a bunch of dirt. That's that's piled up in in the shape of a pyramid. It is very impressive as you as you drive by and try and take photos like I did why didn't I go why didn't lisa and I stop at la venta. That year because la venta and the area around it is covered with oil wells welcome to the modern era my friends. It's just it's really sad. You can see the oil um the oil pumps you know how they kind of go up and down you see that. 12:05.37 archpodnet You see the mechanical metal oil. The drilling equipment. You know, just sort of going up and down up and down a bunch of those right across the site because little did the olmec know they built one of the most important earliest. Cities in the new world on top of oil reserves. So it's it's depressing to see that the the hundred foot tall pyramid is still there and there's not just that there's a plaza. There's other buildings that they built. Um, that's a site where I really hope more research is done. In the next decade you know I really hope they get back there and really start working because it's one of the most amazing you know early sites in in the new world. Now. The only do have other sites and if you've been keeping up with me listeners if you've been doing the math 10 colossal heads at San Lorenzo and for la venta is 14 you're like hey can kello where's the final 3 and my answer is. Around there. There are a couple other um sites of course. Ah the olmec as a culture. Don't just have 2 small cities that they are a part of there's a bunch of other sites but area wise it's just not as big as the maya area you know and these other sites are. 13:38.79 archpodnet Are smaller but the otherss have been found in in different places as the olmec that that flourish of the olmec world kind of slows down around 400 bc eels you see um city states kind of rising up in southern. Guatemala we call this is zapa is Zappa kind of provides a connection between the allmec and then the maya which are really going to take the ball that the allmec started and run with it for the next thousand years so just an amazing culture I can't recommend enough that you guys see the olmec stoneheads in person at some point if you ever possibly can take a trip to Mexico City take a trip to the national museum you really will have your little archeological moment. Where you can look at them and you will be like wow you know they especially if you're in a room with them where there are not too many people. You know what? I mean if you can get just a little quiet moment with the colossal heads of the olmec. And just look at them. You know it's like wow human beings make some pretty incredible stuff when we come back? What to do about the olmec colossal heads.