Mexico’s Ancient Civilizations: The Olmec Civilization

The Olmec civilization is the name given to a sophisticated Central American culture with its heyday between 1200 and 400 BC. The Olmec heartland lies in the Mexican states of Veracruz and Tabasco, at the narrow part of Mexico west of the Yucatan peninsula and east of Oaxaca.
The following is an introductory guide to the Olmec civilization, its place in Central American prehistory, and some important facts about the people and how they lived.
While the very earliest sites of the Olmec show relatively simple egalitarian societies based on hunting and fishing, the Olmecs eventually established a highly complex level of political government, including public building projects such as pyramids and large platform mounds; agriculture; a writing system; and a characteristic sculptural artistry including enormous stone heads with heavy features reminiscent of angry babies.

Olmec Capitals
There are four main regions or zones that have been associated with Olmec by the use of iconography, architecture and settlement plan, including San Lorenzo de Tenochtitlan, La Venta, Tres Zapotes, and Laguna de los Cerros. Within each of these zones, there were three or four different levels of hamlets of different sizes. At the center of the zone was a fairly dense center with plazas and pyramids and kingly residences. Outside of the center were a somewhat sparser collection of hamlets and farmsteads, each at least economically and culturally tied to the center.

Olmec Kings and Rituals
Although there are no records of Olmec king names, we do know that the rituals associated with a king included an emphasis on the sun, and references to solar equinoxes were built into platform and plaza configurations. Sun glyph iconography is seen on many locations, and there is an undeniable importance of sunflower in dietary and ritual contexts.
The ballgame played an important role in Olmec culture, as it does in many Central American societies, and, like those other societies, it may have included human sacrifice. The colossal heads are often sculpted with headgear, thought to represent ball player wear; animal effigies exist of jaguars dressed as ball players. It is possible that women also played in the games, as there are figurines from La Venta which are females wearing helmets.
Olmec Landscape

The Olmec farms and hamlets and centers were situated on and next to a diverse set of landforms, including floodplain lowlands, coastal plains, plateau uplands, and volcanic highlands. But the large Olmec capitals were based on high places in the floodplains of big rivers such as Coatzacoalcos and Tabasco.

The Olmec coped with recurring floods by building their residences and storage structures on artificially raised earth platforms, or by rebuilding on old sites, creating ‘tell’ formations. Many of the earliest Olmec sites are likely buried deep within the floodplains.

The Olmec were clearly interested in color and color schemes of the environment. For example, the plaza at La Venta has a striking appearance of brown soil embedded with tiny bits of shattered greenstone. And there are several blue-green serpentine mosaic pavements tiled with clays and sands in a rainbow of different colors. A common sacrificial object was a jadeite offering covered with red cinnabar.
Olmec Diet and Subsistence

By 5000 BC, the Olmec relied on domestic maize, sunflower, and manioc, later domesticating beans. They also gathered corozo palm nuts, squash, and chili. There is some possibility that the Olmec were the first to use chocolate.

The main source of animal protein was domesticated dog, but that was supplemented with white tailed deer, migratory birds, fish, turtles, and coastal shellfish. White tailed-deer in particular was specifically associated with ritual feasting.
Important Facts about the Olmec
Sacred places: Caves (Juxtlahuaca and Oxtotitlán), springs, and mountains. Sites: El Manati, Takalik Abaj, Pijijiapan.
Human Sacrifice: Children and infants at El Manati; human remains under monuments at San Lorenzo; La Venta has an altar showing an eagle-clad king holding a captive.
Bloodletting: Ritual cutting of part of the body to allow bleeding for sacrifice, was probably also practiced
Colossal Heads: Appear to be portraits of male (and possibly female) Olmec rulers. Sometimes wear helmets indicating that they are ballplayers, figurines and sculpture from La Venta show that women wore helmet headgear, and some of the heads may represent women. A relief at the Pijijiapan as well as La Venta Stela 5 and La Venta Offering 4 show women standing next to men rulers, perhaps as partners.
Olmec Trade, Exchange, and Communications

Exchange: Exotic materials were brought in or traded from far places to the Olmec zones, including literally tons of volcanic basalt to San Lorenzo from the Tuxtla mountains, 60 km away, which was carved into royal sculptures and manos and metates, natural basalt columns from Roca Partida.
Greenstone (jadeite, serpentine, schist, gneiss, green quartz), played a clearly important role in elite contexts at Olmec sites. Some sources for these materials are the gulf coastal region in Motagua Valley, Guatemala, 1000 km away from the Olmec heartland. These materials were carved into beads and animal effigies.

Obsidian was brought in from Puebla, 300 km from San Lorenzo. And also, Pachuca green obsidian from central Mexico.
Writing: The earliest Olmec writing began with glyphs representing calendrical events, and eventually evolved into logographs, line drawings for single ideas. The earliest proto-glyph so far is an Early Formative greenstone carving of a footprint from El Manati. The same sign shows up on a Middle Formative monument 13 at La Venta next to a striding figure. The Cascajal block shows many early glyph forms.

The Olmec designed a printing press of sorts, a roller stamp or cylinder seal, which could be inked and rolled onto human skin, paper, or cloth.

Calendar: 260 day, 13 numbers and 20 named days.

Olmec Sites

La Venta, Tres Zapotes, San Lorenzo Tenochtitlan, Tenango del Valle, San Lorenzo, Laguna de los Cerros, Puerto Escondido, San Andres, Tlatilco, El Manati, Juxtlahuaca Cave, Oxtotitlán Cave, Takalik Abaj, Pijijiapan, Tenochtitlan, Potrero Nuevo, Loma del Zapote, El Remolino and Paso los Ortices, El Manatí, Teopantecuanitlán, Río Pesquero, Takalik Abaj
Olmec Civilization Issues
The Olmec Civilization is at the center of the mother-sister controversy, which is a debate concerning the relative strength of the Olmec society compared to other early Mesoamerican cultures.
The Cascajal Block, a large block found in a quarry that may be among the earliest written records in central America.
The search for bitumen sources, which was an important resource to many archaeological societies in central America.
Chocolate believed to be first used and domesticated by the Olmec.

Adiós Amiga! Puerto Vallarta bids farewell to the Hollywood Icon that put it on the map.

Elizabeth Taylor’s Legacy in Puerto Vallarta

Legendary actress Elizabeth Taylor (February 27, 1932 – March 23, 2011) was an American icon, but her death on Wednesday at age 79 has a special poignancy in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. That once sleepy Mexican town that her steamy and tumultuous romance helped build into the thriving resort it is today.

Taylor’s Puerto Vallarta connection dates back to 1963, when Taylor joined actor Richard Burton while he was filming the movie, “The Night of the Iguana.” Both actors were still married, so the paparazzi followed the “It couple” to Mexico after rumors the two were having an affair. The affair made headlines and was condemned by the Vatican.

Both divorced their spouses and remained in Mexico. They loved the seaside town so much, Burton bought a massive 22,900-square-foot home called Casa Kimberley for Liz as a wedding gift. For 11 years, they lived there and in Casa San Angel, another home across the street which was connected by a famous pink bridge.

“The Burton-Taylor romance, plus the movie ‘Night of the Iguana’ meant a lot to Puerto Vallarta,” says Salvador Peña Chávez, Director of Puerto Vallarta’s Tourism Board. “It was the start of the city as a world-class tourist destination.” In fact, it was their photos of themselves and the surrounding landscape that peaked interest around the world. Puerto Vallarta became the South Beach of the 1960’s, a popular tourist destination for both celebrities and the public. Today, the once-small town of 12,500 has well over a quarter of a million residents.

Liz Taylor brought more than just tourists to town. During her 11 years there, she founded The Elizabeth Taylor Orphanage and took in children in need.

But Puerto Vallarta is also the place the couple is known to have had tempestuous and very vociferous fights. Eventually, in 1974, they divorced—then remarried in 1975.

That second marriage also ended in divorce. Elizabeth Taylor was married eight times in her life.

Today, celebrities still flock to Puerto Vallarta. Kate Hudson was recently spotted here with boyfriend Matt Bellamy. Kevin Costner once had a home here, too.

More than a dozen movies have been made in the city since “The Night of the Iguana”, including “Predator” in 2008. Word is that city leaders have approved honoring Taylor’s contribution to the city with a public sculpture.

“When the sun comes up, I have morals again”

Elizabeth Taylor

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Useful Everyday Spanish Phrases

¡Buenos días!
bway-nohs dee-ahs
Hello! / Good morning!

¡Buenas tardes!
bway-nahs tard-ays
Good afternoon!

¡Buenas noches!
bway-nahs noh-chays
Good evening! / Good night!

Adiós.
ah-dee-ohs
Good bye.

Bienvenidos
byen-veh-nee-dohs
Welcome

Por favor.
por fah-bor
Please.

(Muchas) Gracias.
(moo-chahs) grah-see-ahs
Thank you (very much).

De nada.
day nah-dah
You’re welcome.

Hasta la vista / Hasta luego.
ah-stah lah vees-tah
/ ah-stah loo-ay-go
See you / See you later.

Lo siento
loh see-ehn-toh
I’m sorry

Con permiso / Perdón / Disculpe
kohn pehr-mee-soh / pehr-dohn / dees-kool-peh
Excuse me / Pardon me

Sí / No
see / noh
Yes / No

Me llamo... / Mi nombre es...
may yah-moh / mee nohm-breh ess
My name is...

¿Hablas inglés?
ah-blahs een-glehs
Do you speak English?

¿Puedes ayudarme?
pweh-deh ah-yoo-dar-meh

Claro / Claro que sí
klah-roh / klah-roh keh see
Sure / Of course

¿Dónde está / Dónde están... ?
dohn-deh eh-stah / dohn-deh eh-stahn
Where is ... / Where are ... ?

If you are a first time visitor to Puerto Vallarta, please remember you are in a different country with very different customs besides just the language itself. Mexican people for the most part are very polite, friendly, quite hospitable and usually have big smile on their face.

Many “gringos” not aware of this, especially the ones that have never been outside “Gringolandia”, sometimes come across as demanding and ridiculing. A kind word, sincere smile and “muchas gracias” go a long ways here in México.

SUE AND MARIE

Dive sites around Puerto Vallarta have an abundance of macro life. In addition to the nudibranch’s we have talked about, there seahorses as well which I love. This is another advantage of taking that step from snorkelling to scuba diving, as you can get up close to these creatures and I could personally watch them for hours. So why do I find them so fascinating I hear you ask, well their characteristics are just crazy. They have stolen different parts of at least 6 animals to make them one of the most interesting creatures to observe. Its horse like head has eyes like a lizard so they can keep one eye out for predators such as, large fish, crabs and sea turtles, while the other eye can watch out for food such as small crustaceans, shrimp, plankton and worms.

Their tube-shaped snout is just like that of an aardvark with a toothless upper and lower jaw. The seahorse rapidly opens and closes its jaws in a snapping motion, acting like a vacuum sucking up its food. Their bony armour plating is just like that of the Stegosaurus, but they have the ability to change colour like a chameleon. With the blink of an eye they lighten or darken to match the colour of their surroundings. This protects them from prey. It’s really cool, but as a diver, very frustrating as it makes them so difficult to find.
The seahorses armour links together with spines like a puffer fish, but this affects their flexibility and the amour is also heavy so consequently they are not good swimmers. When they do swim it’s usually in a vertical position and looks effortless. Their dorsal fin (along its back) is transparent and flaps at 20-30 times per second so we can’t see it. They use pectoral fins (on each side) for direction and move up and down by controlling the volume of gas in their bodies. Just like us divers who need alter the amount of air in our jackets (buoyancy control devices) when changing depth.

They also have monkey like tails. This is because they like to sit and wait for passing food, using their tail to wrap around coral or sea grass and anchor themselves to the ocean floor. Seahorses are monogamous and truly loving to the point that when one partner dies, the other usually dies within a few days. During courting every morning they dance together, rubbing heads, changing colour busting out some synchronised swimming. They link tails to form a V shape.

The female tends to gets easily distracted though, especially with passing food. If the male gets really annoyed he will snap at her head to get her attention which would have to hurt. The male has the same reaction if another male seahorse approaches his partner. Mating happens during a full moon. The female produces 200-600 pinkish eggs and deposits them into the males kangaroo like pouch. He then fertilises them and they grow for 3-6 weeks. When the male gives birth he may actually go through labour pain! Up to 1,500 sea ponies are born and are about 1cm long. They are left to fend for themselves so survival is rare. After 6 months they will have grown to their full size of 15cm and be sexually mature, and hopefully live a healthy paired life of around 4 years.

Sea horses numbers are depleting and it’s illegal to trade them, but it is still happening. Largely due to use in Chinese remedies, but also here in Mexico. I have seen dried seahorses for sale as jewelry, so please help us preserve seahorses by not supporting this trade. The best place to find these creatures is Majahuitas, a few miles south of Mismaloya, but please don’t touch, just observe these fantastic animals.

What is the Most Popular Thing to do in Vallarta? Hit the Beach, OF COURSE!!

So why not do it in style? And you needn’t be a mythical model type to feel and look great, thanks to Curvas Peligrosas (Dangerous Curves), a fabulous beachwear shop with quality swimsuits from size 6 to 36, now in their fourth year here in Puerto Vallarta.

Women of substance, finally it is our turn to shine, owners Robina Oliver and Carlos Vazquez remind us that size is just a number. Stocking some 30 brands from quality U.S. designers at prices ranging from 300 pesos to 950 pesos, with the average suit costing about 750, there are many choices for all sizes. Starting out as a shop dedicated to sizes 12 and up, they listened to the numerous requests for ‘smaller’ sized suits over their first year, and Curvas Peligrosas added size 6 through 10 to their already large selection of gorgeous swimsuits. Now they have a suit for every body.

Since there are lots of very handy and attractive three-piece sets among the 1,000 or so suits in the current inventory, you can go from breakfast to beach in a heartbeat. There are some stunning suits with matching cover-ups, from Longitude, Jantzen, and other quality brands. Check out the patented Carol Wior suits, with under-wires, and all lined, front and back, with super-strong lycra to help keep everything in place. 

There are absolutely beautiful, flattering styles in every size, from 6 to 36. In fact, some women who had sworn off bathing suits forever are finding, to their surprise and delight, they can look and feel really good on the beach! Robina has a knack for helping each customer find what is best for them, determining shape as well as size – pear, apple, etc. – and then going right to the racks to pick out several suits for the person to try on. Some may be so out of touch with their bodies, or certainly with buying a bathing suit that they have no idea what would be the most flattering. But Robina brings a positive energy to the experience, making it exciting and fun, perhaps for the first time in a long time, to see yourself in the mirror!

Curvas Peligrosas also stocks a variety of cover-ups, casual wear and more to help you feel beautiful and in a carefree beach mood all day long. Find Curvas Peligrosas on Facebook for their current hours and to keep up with the latest on the newest styles they have in stock.

Located just off the Malecón, one block north of the Rio Cuale, and one block from the Juarez parking garage, at 178 Juarez in El Centro. Right at the corner of Libertad.
Open Monday to Friday 10 to 5, and Saturday 11 to 3, for high season.
(322) 223-5978, www.CurvasPeligrosasPV.com

Yelapa

I met Mel my first night in Yelapa. Gringos living I’n Mexico in those days didn’t have to be crazy, but in most cases, it helped.

All the other cases are either dead or on the lam. With his boyish charms and his quick smile, Mel looked normal to the Mexicans and the expatriates living peacefully among the Macaws, Jaguars, Vampire Bats and Scorpions in this small fishing village hidden among the banana groves and coco nut trees somewhere along the coast of Jalisco in 72.

He was sitting at a table in a restaurant called The Yacht Club playing poker with another American and a couple of Canadians. They accepted my offer to join them. Each bet involved an international money exchange between greenbacks, pesos, and beaver bucks.

After winning about five hundred pesos from my new friends, the game closed down and Mel invited me up to his house for a little one on one poker. Mel was an honest card player. After losing another five hundred pesos more of his own money, into those wee hours of the morning, he sure wasn’t cheating.

Mel informed me about the Yelapa tradition where the winner buys the loser breakfast.

Since I was buying with a huge hunk of his money, I was happy to pick up the tab of my new friend and gambling buddy. I spent the rest of my winnings on a kilo of pot. I started selling pot and having poker games at my house three nights a week.

After a month, I moved into a much larger and nicer house overlooking the bay. Mel accepted my invitation to share the rent. Mel was a poet and an artist living quietly in Mexico. He had a way with the ladies.
“You must stop by for tea,” Mel would extend this invitation to some of the better looking ladies living alone here and most responded. “I don’t know what came over me,” they would explain later. I was walking by the path to your house and I got this irresistible urge to stop in for tea. I only knew Mel of a few months that winter before I headed north again.

The guy I knew was in his prime, easy to laugh, comfortable with himself and the world. Many years later, Mel would die penniless and alone on the beach.

That Mel was someone I never knew, desperate and angry, mad at anyone and everyone, a scowl on his much older and thinner face and his fist always wrapped around the handle of his ever present machete.

The ladies no longer stopped by for tea and one by one, his friends began to drift away.

He was kicked out of his house after another fight with Christina, his last girlfriend. The fight ended with Mel vainly chasing her through the pre-dawn jungle, screaming curses as he waved his machete at the terrified girl, both of them were naked.

The next morning, his landlord walked in and pointed a pistol at a half awake Mel. “You have one hour to get your things and get out of this house.

I will tolerate the drinking, the drugs, the fighting into the night, but I will not tolerate nudity! “Mel gathered what few belongings he owned and left. His checks from the states stopped coming and soon he was homeless and broke.

Christine found a new and much saner boyfriend. Mel was a hemophiliac. His main source of income was a small disability check he got from the states. I have a theory that Mel contracted aids from a blood transfusion.

This would help to explain the homeless and hostile man that was dying on the beach in Yelapa.

Angry from a death sentence he didn’t deserve, sick from a relentless disease that was ravaging his emaciated body, Mel gave up.

He stopped eating. Soon he was dead. Someone called his sister in Ohio. She thanked them for the call. When they inquired about where to send the body, she replied that wasn’t her problem and hung up.

The gringos in Yelapa passed the hat around and sent someone to Puerto Vallarta to buy a coffin.

Since there wasn’t much money raised, they had to settle for the cheapest box in the funeral home.

By the time they got back to Yelapa, Mel was getting pretty ripe. He was too long to fit into the the box properly and his toes stuck out.

On the way up the hill to the cemetery the bottom of the cheap box broke open, Mel fell out and began rolling back down the hill. Finally the repaired coffin and Mel made it to the cemetery.

The burial party had only managed to dig a hole about four feet eel before the hit hard rock. “ That’s deep enough!” someone declared.

Mel had a leather bound journal he had kept for years. Rumor had it that he had written down all the dirt on the Gringo families who had lived in Yelapa the longest.

They wrapped Mel’s arms over whatever was written and buried him with it. When they began lowering Mel into his final resting place, a waterspout suddenly appeared on the bay.

There are Mexicans and some Gringos who swear today they believe Mel was a witch.

Thirty years later, he still doesn’t have a headstone, but the regulars - those Gringos who have made this small fishing village their home- still tell their favorite stories of my friend and gambling buddy.

Robert McLane

In 2007, my book, STOP WAR AMERICA, won Honorable Mention at the New York Book Festival