Olmec religion

The religion of the Olmec people significantly influenced the social development and mythological world view of Mesoamerica.

The first Mesoamerican civilization, the Olmecs, developed on present-day Mexico southern Gulf Coast in the centuries before 1200 BCE.

The rulers seem to have been the most important religious figures, with their links to the Olmec deities or supernaturals providing legitimacy for their rule.

[4] This view was challenged in the 1970s by Peter David Joralemon, whose Ph.D. paper[citation needed] and subsequent article posited what are now considered to be 8 different supernaturals.

For example, "flame eyebrows" are seen at times within representations of both the Olmec Dragon and the Bird Monster, and the cleft head is seen on all five supernaturals that appear on Las Limas Monument 1.

Christopher Pool,[c] Pohorilenko (1996) and Miller & Taube (1993) each equate the were-jaguar with the Rain Deity, while Joralemon finds them to be two separate supernaturals.

[21] This enigmatic deity is named for the narrow band that runs along the side of its face through its almond-shaped eye with its round iris.

Most often recognized by its shark tooth, the head of the monster also features a crescent-shaped eye, and a small lower jaw.

[24] When depicted in its full-body form, such as on San Lorenzo Monument 58 or on the Young Lord figurine, the anthropomorphic Fish Monster also displays crossed bands, a dorsal fin, a split tail.

Monument 19, from La Venta (1200–400 BCE ), the earliest known representation of a feathered serpent in Mesoamerica.
Figure from Las Limas monument 1 .
Monument 52 from San Lorenzo Tenochtitlán . Some researchers identify this figure as the were-jaguar while others state that it instead represents the Rain Deity. The long deep groove carved into the back of this basalt sculpture indicates it was part of the drainage system.