Kiara Reagan
Eulogio Guzman
A View of Ancient Middle and South American Art
23 October 2018
Animal Motifs and Religion as Power in Olmec Culture
Religion is a source of political power for many rulers. The pharaohs of ancient Egypt were divine and rulers of medieval Europe were believed to be ordained by God. Rulers of Olmec societies were no different. Recurring animal motifs in art and the immensity of ritual spaces demonstrate how spiritual power, lineage, and political power were all connected.
Two motifs occuring in Olmec are the toad and jaguar. Animal-human hybrids are common in Olmec art (Reilly 11). This may be related to the experience of a shaman, who is thought to turn into an animal when passing into the otherworld (Reilly 17). Although shamans are typically associated with bands, Kent F. Reilly suggests that Olmec rulers acted as “state shamans”, using nonpareil shaman-like powers as a claim to political power (17). An example of transformation is seen in the sculpture “Shaman in Transformation Pose”, which is interpreted as a shaman in the beginning stage of his transformation (Reilly 11). A toad is incised on the top of the shaman’s head, thought to be the species Bufo marinus (Reilly 9). Reilly believes the toad is a reference to the psychopharmacological properties of a substance excreted by the toad, which may have allowed ancient shamans to connect to the spiritual world (Reilly 9). The prominence of the toad motif in other art therefore exposes the importance of spiritual connection in Olmec civilization. Another example of shaman transformation is the “Hauberg-Dumbarton Oaks figure”. This sculpture depicts a shaman transforming into a jaguar, (Reilly 12) and is an example of the were-jaguars that Olmec culture is famous for.
(Shaman in Transformation Pose) (Hauberg-Dumbarton Oaks figure)
Without a doubt, the jaguar is critical motif in Olmec culture. It is the “ruler of the animal kingdom” and is therefore a symbol of power (Takkou). Some archaeologists have come to the conclusion that Olmec culture included a story of copulation between a jaguar and human that resulted in the royal lineage (Coe and Koontz 62). The resulting lineage is depicted as a jaguar-human hybrid—a were-jaguar—that often has fangs, a cleft head, downturned mouth, and flame eyebrows (Coe and Koontz 62). Evidence for the were-jaguar lineage comes in part from Altar 5 at La Venta. The front of this throne depicts a person coming out of what seems to be a cave—associated with the womb—with a baby were-jaguar in hand, suggesting the royal descent and lineage of anyone who would sit atop it (Coe and Koontz 74). Small were-jaguar sculptures were also found in the remains of the houses of Olmec commoners, evidence that the idea of royal, godly ancestry was well spread (Coe and Koontz 70).
(“Altar 5, front: Altar of the Children”)
Besides in works of art, Olmec rulers expressed their political and religious power in immense architecture. The three colossal heads of rulers at La Venta prominently marked the entrance to the city (Lauck 80), surely done to express the “colossal” power of the rulers themselves. Conversely, the three massive offerings of jade in the same city were buried (Coe and Koontz 76), and therefore could not express political power to future generations. Instead they are a testament to the spirituality of the rulers that directed their creation. Mound C at La Venta combines these two aspects of rulership—political and spiritual power—into one architectural feat. The apron around the mound was probably used for public performance of religious rituals (Diehl 64). It was effectively a stage for widespread propaganda, proving the legitimacy of the ruler’s spiritual power and therefore legitimizing his political power. In addition, four of the six stelae of the apron depict the were-jaguar, further propagating the were-jaguar lineage idea (Diehl 65). According to Richard Diehl, “…Ritual and ideology dominated the lives of the inhabitants (61)” of La Venta, much in the same way Complex C dominates any other architecture at La Venta.
Colossal Head at La Venta (“Young Warrior”)
Massive Offering at La Venta (“Mosaic Pavement”)
Although the particulars of Olmec religion may have been lost to time, its importance to rulership has not. Zoomorphic art and repetitious motifs communicate the connection between shaman-like powers and the creation of a divine line of rulers. Clearly, Olmec rulership was legitimized by spiritual power that was transferred through lineage.
Works Cited
Coe, Michael D. and Rex Koontz. “The Preclassic Period: Early Civilizations.” Mexico: From
the Olmecs to the Aztecs, edition 7, Thames and Hudson, 2013, pp. 62-89.
Diehl, Richard. “La Venta’s Realm.” The Olmecs: America’s first civilization, Thames and
Hudson, 2004, pp. 61-65. Guzman, Eulogio. A View of Ancient Middle and South
American Art, Tufts Univ., 31 Aug. 2018,
canvas.tufts.edu/courses/3411/files/folder/Readings_Weeks_1-5?preview=408989.
Lauck, Rebecca González. “La Venta: An Olmec Capital.” Olmec Art of Ancient Mexico,
Benson, Elizabeth P. and de la Fuente, Beatriz, National Gallery of Art, 1 Aug. 1996, pp.
80. Guzman, Eulogio. A View of Ancient Middle and South American Art, Tufts Univ., 4
Sept. 2018,
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Reilly, F. Kent. “The Shaman in Transformation Pose: A Study of the Theme of Rulership in
Olmec Art.” Record of the Art Museum, Princeton University, vol. 48, no. 2, 1989, pp.
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Takkou-Neofytou, Richard. “Were-Jaguars and Crocodilians: A Need to Redefine.” Papers from
the Institute of Archaeology, University College London, 27 Oct. 2014, www.pia-journal.co.uk/articles/10.5334/pia.472/.
The Purdue OWL. Purdue U Writing Lab, 2016,
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Images
“Altar 5, front: Altar of the Children.” La Venta Park, Mexico, Mary Ann Sullivan, 2004,
www.bluffton.edu/homepages/facstaff/sullivanm/mexico/olmec/olmec2.html. Accessed
14 Oct. 2018.
Hauberg-Dumbarton Oaks figure. The Art Museum, Princeton Univ. Record of the Art Museum,
Princeton University, www.jstor.org/stable/3774730. Accessed 14 Oct. 2018.
“Mosaic Pavement.” La Venta Park, Mexico, Mary Ann Sullivan, 2004,
www.bluffton.edu/homepages/facstaff/sullivanm/mexico/olmec/olmec2.html. Accessed
14 Oct. 2018.
Shaman in Transformation Pose. The Art Museum, Princeton Univ. Latin American Studies,
www.latinamericanstudies.org/olmec-shaman.htm. Accessed 14 Oct. 2018.
“Young Warrior.” La Venta Park, Mexico, Mary Ann Sullivan, 2004,
www.bluffton.edu/homepages/facstaff/sullivanm/mexico/olmec/olmec2.html. Accessed
14 Oct. 2018.