History

The most famous civilization in the Mesoamerican pre-classic era is the Olmec. The Olmec was a much defined group that had attained a high degree of civilization in their time. For example, the group had a sophisticated system for telling dates and hieroglyphic writing. The Olmec had the most distinct art items (Benson, 1981). The paper seeks to explore the various aspects that characterized the civilization of the Olmecs.

One aspect that reveals civilization in this group is the design of their cities. Looking back at that time, it is impossible to think of a society that would consider constructing a city. This group was unique in that aspect (Carver, 2006). Their cities were built around a central elevated stack. This stack was utilized for religious festivals. This group reveals an aspect of growth and development. This is demonstrated by the replacing of the stacks with Pyramid-shaped structures. When these changes and development started taking place, societies started to split up into factions that were organized in a hierarchy. There was also transformation in residential patterns. The Olmecs discovered basalt in Tuxtla Mountains. Being so curious, the Olmecs realized that their discovery could be used for building plazas and religious pyramids. They also discovered a very interesting art. They began to use the basalt for modeling the stone heads they are well-known for (Hooker, 1996).  

Another aspect that characterized the Olmec civilization was irrigation. For those who have not studied such interesting history, irrigation is a modern concept. This group had an irrigation scheme that passed through the city supplying water for cultivation. The Olmecs were also experienced in trade. The available waterways were used for fishing as well as for shipping people to and from the markets. Basalt was the most traded item that facilitated connections with other communities. Another evidence of exchange was revealed in their art. Most of their carvings were jade, which was not evident in their religion. This element must have been brought in from another community (Benson, 1981).

The Olmecs had very strong religious beliefs. Their religion was basically founded on animals and animal symbols. Their greatest religious ideology was Shamanism. The shamans are believed to have used hallucinogenic substances from toads and or various types of mushrooms to have abstractions. There is evidence of their temple that is in place even today. This is the Temple of the Feathered Serpent. This temple is in Teotihuacn. The Olmecs made sacrifices to their gods and animal spirits. This took place in the religious structure that they constructed for that purpose (Cyphers  Judith, 2006).

The strongest character of the Olmecs that produced the greatest impact in the contemporary culture is their art. This society is famous for very many artistic elements. The most well-known of this is huge head statues. These heads were curved probably in commemoration of the most influential people in that society. This particular culture was passed on to many generations and to many other communities. Many of these statues were mutilated in a way (Cyphers  Judith, 2006). This was maybe after the community was defeated by another group. Another possible reason why the heads were mutilated was as a form of sacrifice after the leader died. There is a very interesting aspect about the statues. Their eyes were slanted and had big lips. This factor elicits a lot of debate. Some people claim that, based on these characteristics, they might have originated from either Asia or Africa. Most of the statues were deformed. This was likely performed at birth for noble children, like it was done by the Mayan culture. Other art elements were jaguars, serpents and monkeys (Hooker, 1996).

Conclusion
It is evident that the Olmecs were so civilized for their period. The American civilization has been so influenced by this community. Their art was transferred to very many other cultures around the world, and it is evident even today. Their culture and art have influenced history and are studied in various subjects.