Olmec

Ol·mec

O0067850 (ŏl′mĕk, ōl′-)n. pl. Olmec or Ol·mecs 1. An early Mesoamerican Indian civilization centered in the Veracruz region of southeast Mexico that flourished between 1300 and 400 bc, whose cultural influence was widespread throughout southern Mexico and Central America.2. A member of any of various peoples sharing the Olmec culture.

[Nahuatl Ōlmēcah, plural of Ōlmēcatl, an Olmec, from Ōlmān, Olmec homeland (literally, "land of rubber"), from ōlli, rubber from the tree Castilla elastica.]

Olmec

(ˈɒlmɛk) n, pl -mecs or -mec (Peoples) a member of an ancient Central American Indian people who inhabited the southern Gulf Coast of Mexico and flourished between about 1200 and 400 bcadj (Peoples) of or relating to these people or their civilization or culture

Ol•mec

(ˈɒl mɛk, ˈoʊl-)

adj., n., pl. -mecs, (esp. collectively) -mec. adj. 1. of or designating a Mesoamerican civilization, c1000–400 b.c., along the S Gulf coast of Mexico. n. 2. a member of the people who belonged to this ancient civilization.

Olmec

A member of a people of southern Mexico and the surrounding regions whose civilization predates the Maya.

Thesaurus

Noun

Olmec - a member of an early Mesoamerican civilization centered around Veracruz that flourished between 1300 and 400 BCfederation of tribes, tribe - a federation (as of American Indians)American Indian, Indian, Red Indian - a member of the race of people living in America when Europeans arrived

Translations

Olmec

(ōl`mĕk), term denoting the culture of ancient Mexican natives inhabiting the tropical coastal plain of the contemporary states of Veracruz and Tabasco, between 1300 and 400 B.C. The term is also used to refer to contemporaneous groups in highland regions of Mesoamerica (including the states of Oaxaca, Morelos, Guerrero, and the Federal District) who possessed ceramic or sculptural designs similar to those found in the lowlands. The nature of the relationship between the highland and lowland groups remains unclear. The largest and best known Olmec sites are situated along rivers on the coastal plain and include San Lorenzo (1300–900 B.C.) and Tres Zapotes (1000–400 B.C.) in Veracruz, and La Venta (1000–600 B.C.) in Tabasco. At the time of their apogee, these three settlements were probably the most complex "ceremonial" sites found in Mesoamerica. For this reason, the Olmec are often considered to be the cultura madre (mother culture) of later Mesoamerican civilizations. The Olmec were renowned for their sculpting skills and distinctive motifs, leaving numerous carved stelae, as well as freestanding jade and basalt sculptures. Among the more notable examples are numerous sculptured heads of basalt, weighing as much as 40 tons and standing up to 10 ft (3 m) in height. The basalt used for these carvings came from up to 50 mi (80 km) away and was floated to the riverine settlements on rafts. Earthen platforms and pyramidal mounds were also common features of the settlements. The largest single pyramid, found at La Venta, measures 459 ft (140 m) in diameter and 98 ft (30 m) in height. The Olmec economy centered around agricultural production on fertile floodplains, and was supplemented by fishing and shellfishing. By 400 B.C., the distinctive features of Olmec culture disappeared and the region was overshadowed by the emerging central Mexican and MayanMaya
, indigenous people of S Mexico and Central America, occupying an area comprising the Yucatán peninsula and much of the present state of Chiapas in Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, parts of El Salvador, and extreme western Honduras.
..... Click the link for more information. civilizations.

Bibliography

See M. Coe and R. Diehl, The Land of the Olmec (Vol. 2, 1980); R. J. Sharer and D. C. Grove, ed., Regional Perspectives on the Olmec (1989).

Olmec

Ol·mec

Olmec

Ol•mec

Olmec

Olmec

Olmec

Bibliography

Olmec

Words related to Olmec

noun a member of an early Mesoamerican civilization centered around Veracruz that flourished between 1300 and 400 BC

Related Words