Copyright 1999, Mesoweb. |
The Mesoweb logo stands for the diverse civilizations of ancient Mesoamerica and the theme of cultural connections over time and space. The fearsome were-jaguar on this page is Olmec. While the image may not look particularly motherly, the Olmec civilization is considered to be the mother culture of Mesoamerica. The Olmec bequeathed a number of concepts and visual symbols — including the cleft in this creature's forehead — to the subsequent cultures of Mexico and Central America.
NOTES, SOURCES & LINKS: The term were-jaguar is modeled on "werewolf", another imaginary combination of human and beast. No Olmec mythology survives, except for what may be inferred from symbols in art and architecture. Mexico: From the Olmecs to the Aztecs, by Michael Coe and Rex Koontz, presents a good introduction to the Olmec. One of the best books ever written on the topic is available as a free electronic download at the website of Dumbarton Oaks: Click the link under Pre-Columbian Studies for Olmec Art at Dumbarton Oaks by Karl Taube. Richard Diehl's The Olmecs: America's First Civilization is also highly recommended. Mesoweb's Olmec website is under development, but currently displays a small selection of Olmec imagery, as well as links to more on the Web. For the cultural continuity between the Olmec and later Mesoamerican civilizations, see Kent Reilly's insightful paper, "Olmec Iconographic Influences on the Symbols of Maya Rulership", originally presented at the Sixth Palenque Round Table and republished online here at Mesoweb/PARI.
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