Essay: The Olmec and Chavins civilisations

The Olmec civilization started living in the lowlands of south central Mexico, which is present day Veracruz and Tabasco. They were one of the first civilizations to live in Mesoamerica and they later influenced the Mayans and the Aztecs. The Chavin civilization was built around a large temple at Chavin de Huantar. Archeologists have found most of the artifacts from this culture and they were known for their metallurgy including goldsmithing, domestication of animals such as llamas, and the cultivation of crops such as maize. The Olmecs had a more complex civilization than the Chavins. These two civilizations were two of the many early agricultural civilizations and one of the first widespread civilizations.
The Olmec and Chavin civilization both believed religion was important so at the top of the pyramid were the political and religious elites. Having the religious class at the top of the pyramid allowed them to rule based on what they believe. Below the political and religious elites were the shamans, noblemen, and the lower class which consisted of the merchants, farmers, and craftsmen. Culture was a big thing in both of these societies. They believed in polytheistic religions and had large platforms just for religious purposes. They had elaborate religious rituals and the jaguar was very important to them. They both had art styles which represented an ideological system. This had let them make a set of political beliefs which they all would agree to. They also had alliances and trade networks. By having trade networks, this allowed them to spread ideas, technologies, goods, and etc. Because the Olmecs used warfare, they were able to expand trade and have access to resources they didn’t have.
The Chavins were a theocracy ruled by deity. The Olmecs had kings and the rulers dealt with the gods and the jaguars. They had gods which represented a specific element on Earth. They would appear to the commoners as dominant animals which had power or mythical creatures.Their houses were made out of mud and sticks which didn’t stay up for long while the Chavins were located near the intersection of the trade routes so they could get goods. The Chavins had constructed roads temples, bridges, palaces, and textile production. The Olmecs had jade figurines necklaces, ceremonial knives and axes. Geography had played a big role to the Chavins because the buildings were decorated with carvings of serpents, jaguars, and etc. The Olmecs grew corns, beans, and squash which led them to often trade with people who had jade, obsidian, and pottery. The Chavins fished and traded with people who had quinoa, potatoes, llamas, and fruits. In the Chavin empire, forms of trade and folk tales had been passed through their religion which decided the fate of their culture.
Nomadic communities connected early agricultural societies. They were to all sorts of things such as trades and economics. The nomads did not have an economy because they moved around a lot, but later on they had an economy because they had advanced. Nomads are mainly the men in the men in the family and they hereded livestock. The main reason nomads moved was because of the constant change in weather. They took what they learned and taught to the people living where they moved. The Nomads connected the early agricultural societies because since they constantly moved, they took what they learned from one society to another and so on.
The Olmecs and the Chavins are two very different civilizations which have positive and negative impacts on the world today. All of the earliest civilizations had made the world progress into something better and bigger. Because of their “advanced” technology, we took their knowledge and made it into something more extraordinary. Back then, they didn’t have the advanced technology or knowledge we have today. They influenced us in many ways positively and negatively in many ways.