The anthropology of smiles

On one of my first days off in Xalapa, I decided to make the most of it and get a bit more acquainted with my new surroundings. What better way to do so than to take in the history of the people and their culture? I headed to the Anthropology museum of Xalapa!

I did not expect to be so taken so aback by the beauty and immensity of the works! I felt a childlike wonder and awe as I wandered through the big halls and rooms with giant Olmec heads, some weighing well over 3 tonnes! Hairs raised on my arm as I recognized a range of emotions on the stone faces of the figures; fear, anger, pride, authority, serenity and somewhat unexpectedly, there was a lot of happiness on display! All the objects in this museum are all from the state of Veracruz and belong to the Olmec culture. Smiley faces are actually one of the trademarks of Olmec art from the region of Veracruz, quite fitting of the culture here today as well I would say :)

You can almost hear the laughter! Infections, right?

The Olmec culture was the first great Mesoamerican culture, which thrived along Mexico’s Gulf Coast from around 1200-400 B.C. It is regarded as the founder of all subsequent cultures in that part of the Americas (including the Mayan and Aztec).  Many researchers believe that the Olmecs originally came from Africa. This is due to certain facial features as well as details of facial scaring and lines on Olmec statues bearing similarities to tribal marks found among tribes in West Africa. The Olmecs themselves however believed they were descendants of the Jaguar, which was considered the most powerful earthly predator, navigating skilfully on earth, in water, and in the air (which happen to be the three main divisions of the Olmec world). The jaguar featured heavily in some religious ceremonies, and a total of eight gods have been identified based on the Olmec art discovered so far. Olmec religion connected the supernatural world with nature, and their rulers were either believed to be gods themselves or associated with them. The Olmec gods identified are those of; fire, water (rain), earth, sun, fertility, war, sky, and the feathered serpent.

A beautiful jaguar, the god of fertility and the god of fire.

Stay tuned if you are interested in hearing more about this magnificent culture, as soon as I have sorted through my pictures I will share a lot more with you!

Information gathered from:

What I was told by my anthropologist friend and can remember from the museum audio guide and:

Latin American History:
http://latinamericanhistory.about.com/od/The_Olmec/p/Olmec-Culture.htm

Learning corner:
http://familyonbikes.org/educate/lessons/olmecans.htm

Student resources in context on Olmec culture: 
http://ic.galegroup.com/ic/suic/ReferenceDetailsPage/ReferenceDetailsWindow?zid=56713cc7a1556331191e162670d7da69&action=2&catId=&documentId=GALE|CX3424400034&userGroupName=clea26856&jsid=e46f8ef1b6d42c0a588f8127cdbc3f85