Olmec_Outline

Michael Luna World Religions Period 3 2/28/10 The Olmec Human Condition The Olmec practiced Shamanism. They believe that each individual has an animal spirit. The jaguar was a very important figure to the Olmec. "To the ancient Indians the jaguar was a symbol of supernatural forces-not a simple animal, but an ancestor and a god.” They thought of the jaguar as a nahual, which is an animal that is closely related to a man, that if the animal dies, the man will also die. The jaguar can be the symbol of something harmful and dangerous, although at other times it can be mischievous. Spiritual Perfection The Olmec were lead by the Shaman. The Shaman would communicate to their gods through witchcraft. The Shaman would chant to the jaguar deity to try and please their gods. There are some Olmec myths that say that the Shaman would somehow obtain supernatural powers from the Jaguar. Our Destiny The Olmec thought the jaguar was sacred because they believed that the jaguar was a nahual and if the animal was to die then the man will die. Their main was goal was to please their gods by performing rituals and chant to them. Essence Since there is a lack of historic evidence it is hard to determine the when the Olmec culture started. The Olmec brought the first Mesoamerican Empire, whose remains are still visible. The Olmec established the basic themes that continued at the heart of Mesoamerica cosmological and political thought. Cahokia & other Mississippian Cultures Human Conditions The belief system of Mississippian culture is called Southeastern Ceremonial Complex or Southern Cult. The leader was called “The Great Sun” and was worshiped as a god. The leader would live on the highest mound because they believe that living high brought them closer to heaven. They lived in a world that included several categories of spiritual beings. They believed that spirits of the upper world rarely intervened in everyday matters. The spirits were present in everyday world of the Southeastern Indians. Spiritual perfection Archeological evidence shows that they practiced human sacrifice. They believed if you lived high you were closer to heaven. Our Destiny From archeological evidence they say that they did believe in an afterlife. There have been findings of male rulers buried with around three hundred people who were sacrificed to serve him in the next life. Essence They built more than one hundred and twenty mounds. Some of the mounds go up to one hundred feet into the sky. The Olmec Source 1 http://www.hyperhistory.net/apwh/essays/comp/cw13olmecmaya.htm Source 2 http://facweb.stvincent.edu/academics/religiousstu/writings/lavin1.htm Source 3 http://books.google.com/books'id=BIqdIYufqmgC&pg=PA187&lpg=PA187&dq=what+is+the+essence+of+The+Olmec&source=bl&ots=qI4LhlJpmx&sig=A6HD9toOXoIu1nbwhkNfU2PTVuk&hl=en&ei=IyWLS8blHJD2M4fi7aYB&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=2&ved=0CAkQ6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q=what%20is%20the%20essence%20of%20The%20Olmec&f=false Cahokia Source 4 http://www.univie.ac.at/Anglistik/webprojects/LiveMiss/Cahokia/LIFESTYLE.htm Source 5 http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/national/daily/march/12/cahokia.htm Source 6 http://www.legendsofamerica.com/IL-Cahokia.html Source 7 http://www.nps.gov/history/seac/misslate.htm Source 8 The Southeastern Indians