My Perspective on the Story of the Olmec

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 Introduction of both sources

 Sculpture of the Olmec Monkey God,
 at the City of La Venta, Mexico.
By Richard I'Anson
In this blog, I will discuss the video entitled Lost Kingdoms of Central America from BBC done by Dr. Jago Cooper of the British Museum, and a brief article entitled "La Venta" by Rebecca Gonzalez Lauck. The main idea of the article is to define the archaeological finds in the ancient city of La Venta to reveal the constructional marvels that the Olmec people have mastered, "The archaeological remains at La Venta provide irrefutable evidence of the sophiscation and complexity of the Olmec civilization."(Gonzalez Lauck 800)

On the other hand, the main idea of the video is to explore the fertile lands in the Mesoamerica to explain how the Olmecs came to be and the way they lived, as Dr. Jago Cooper said, "But the nerwork of rivers and lagoons drew them inland in search of more sustenance, into the swamps and wetlands, into an environment that would change the way they existed."(Lost 5:19-5:37)

Unique Information from Both Sources

One element that I can find in the video that is similar to the article is the supernatural status of the ruling class within the Olmec society, the article stated, "Based on the sculptural art, we can propose that the supernatural world played an important role among the ruling sector."(Gonzalez Lauck 800) The video expressed the same idea when Dr. Cooper said, "Evidence for why the Olmec elite was so revered by their people can be seen in other sculptures unearthed near San Lorenzo, they suggest the rulers occupied an almost supernatural role."(Lost 12:51-13:03) In this direction, I want to share a video, here is a video about Graham Hancock explaining the Olmec civilization and some of its mysteries in Joe Rogan's podcast.

My experience in these sources

After watching the video Lost Kingdoms of Central America and the article, I would say that I have definitely learned something new. For the video, I have learned that Olmec ball game was more than just being a sport. The Olmec ball game was a way to strengthen the society and many more, as Dr. Cooper said, "Because as societies grow, as populations grow, we need other people to represent us, represent our communities, and that's what football teams do. They represent communities, regions, countries even, and for the Mesoamerican ball game, is so much more than just a sport. It's a mechanism for playing out relationships between communities, between city-states, and in some ways it allows individuals to live vicariously through those who represent them."(Lost 28:48-29:15)

For the article, I have learned the importance of transporting resources in Olmec civilization. Perhaps that's one of the reasons why the Olmecs thrived in Mesoamerica, just like the article explained, "The incredibly impressive technological feat involved in the transportation of blocks of stone weighing over 30 tons—the weight of some of the monumental sculptures—is something yet to be explained."(Gonzalez Lauck 800)





Works Cited
"BBC.Lost.Kingdoms.Of.Central.America.1of4.Kingdom.Of.The.Jaguar.The.Olmecs.2014.58Min." Www.youtube.com, www.youtube.com/watch?v=gTuab0SNuPA&t=2s. Accessed 3 Oct. 2021.

"Graham Hancock Explains the Mystery of the Olmecs | Joe Rogan." Www.youtube.com, www.youtube.com/watch?v=qP0veW9gBxI. Accessed 3 Oct. 2021.

Minster, Christopher. "La Venta – Olmec Archaeology Site La Venta." ThoughtCo, www.thoughtco.com/the-olmec-city-of-la-venta-2136301. Accessed 3 Oct. 2021.

Toevans, Susan, and David L Webster. Archaeology of Ancient Mexico and Central America : An Encyclopedia. New York ; London, Garland, 2001.

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