![]() The concept of the Olmecs as a mother culture was first formally raised by Alfonso Caso at a 1942 conference on the "Olmec problem" in Tuxtla Gutiérrez where he argued that the Olmec were the " cultura madre" of Mesoamerica. The major Formative Period sites in present-day Mexico which show Olmec influences in the archaeological record. ![]() ![]() has convinced everyone but the most die-hard opponents". Coe, "There is now little doubt that all later civilizations in Mesoamerica, whether Mexican or Maya, ultimately rest on an Olmec base." To this, Coe's student archaeologist Richard Diehl adds "While not every archaeologist agrees with Coe. To quote perhaps the most prominent of Mesoamerican archaeologists, Michael D. This apparent one-way flow has led most researchers to declare Olmecs to be the "mother culture" of Mesoamerica. The Olmec influences in these sites all post-date San Lorenzo and the cultural pathways almost exclusively flow from the Olmec heartland to these distant sites, and not in the other direction (from, say, Chalcatzingo to San Lorenzo Tenochtitlan). Often, for example at Las Bocas, Olmec inconography will even appear on objects created in the local tradition. In all these cases, the archaeological record shows Olmec-influenced objects existing alongside objects in the local tradition. Other sites showing Olmec influence include Takalik Abaj and Monte Alto in Guatemala, Las Bocas in Puebla, and Zazacatla. San Jose Mogote is, like the larger Olmec site of La Venta, oriented 8° west of north. San José Mogote, in Oaxaca, which features Olmec-style pottery.Teopantecuanitlan, in Guerrero, which also features Olmec-style reliefs as well as city plans with distinctive Olmec features.Chalcatzingo, in the Valley of Morelos, which features Olmec-style reliefs on monuments and exposed rock.Tlatilco and Tlapacoya, major centers of the Tlatilco culture in the Valley of Mexico, where artifacts include hollow baby-face motif figurines and Olmec designs on ceramics.While some of the hallmarks of Olmec culture, such as colossal heads or other sculptures, earthen platforms, and monolithic "altars", are to be found only within the heartland, many Olmec-style artifacts, designs, figurines, monuments, and motifs can be found in the archaeological records of sites hundreds of kilometers/miles distant. The Olmec civilization arose in the Olmec heartland with the flowering of San Lorenzo Tenochtitlán in the centuries before 1200 BCE.The forebears of the Olmecs were indigenous to the Olmec heartland, and developed their civilization independent of other civilizations.Additionally, a full bibliography is offered in our sales catalogues.Nearly all researchers agree on a number of specific issues concerning the Olmec and the Olmec Heartland: I’d also urge readers to look at Mezcala (1992) by Frances Gay and Frances Pratt Mary Miller’s Art of Mesoamerica Rebecca Stone Miller’s Art of the Andes and Pre-Columbian Gold: Technology, Style and Iconography, edited by Colin McEwan. Snarkis is a key work on Central American art. Berjonneau and J.Louis Sonnery Pre-Columbian Art of Mexico and Central America (1968) by Hasso von Winning is a classic, as is Art of Ancient Peru and Ecuador (1968) by Alan Lapiner and Andre Emmerich the exhibition catalogue from 1981-82, Between Continents/Between Seas: Pre-Columbian Art of Costa Rica by J.Jones, M.Kan and M. I would strongly recommend the following books for any collector: Rediscovered Masterpieces of Mesoamerica (1985) by G. It is very important to read, read and read, and to visit as many museum collections as possible to train your eye and understand the different styles. The places of origin also have superb collections, such as Mexico City’s Museo Nacional de Anthopología and the Museo del Oro in Bogotá, Colombia, plus there are fine collections in Lima, Peru, and the Museo Chileano de Arte Precolumbino in Santiago, Chile. In Paris you have the major Musée du Quai Branly and in London the British Museum. In Vienna the great Weltmuseum (Museum of Ethnology), which was established in 1876, has just reopened after a vast renovation in 2017. The Germans led expeditions in the mid-19th century that have led to the formation of collections in various ethnographic museums known as Voelkerkunde museums, which are spread across the country. The Metropolitan Museum of Art has a marvellous collection, as do the Princeton University Art Museum, Houston Museum of Fine Arts, Dallas Art Museum, Art Institute of Chicago, Los Angeles County Museum of Art and the Cleveland Museum of Art, to name a few. The United States has some of the strongest collections. ![]() Has there been damage, restoration or repainting? These are the sort of questions you need to consider. ![]() Condition reports are essential, especially for ceramics and even for stone pieces. ![]()
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