Reconsidering Olmec Visual Culture: The Unborn, Women, and Creation (The William and Bettye Nowlin Series in Art, History, and Culture of the Western Hemisphere)

Recently, scholars of Olmec visual culture have identified symbols for umbilical cords, bundles, and cave-wombs, as well as a significant number of women portrayed on monuments and as figurines. In this groundbreaking study, Carolyn Tate demonstrates that these subjects were part of a major emphasis on gestational imagery in Formative Period Mesoamerica. In Reconsidering Olmec Visual Culture, she identifies the presence of women, human embryos, and fetuses in monuments and portable objects dating from 1400 to 400 BC and originating throughout much of Mesoamerica. This highly original study sheds new light on the prominent roles that women and gestational beings played in Early Formative societies, revealing female shamanic practices, the generative concepts that motivated caching and bundling, and the expression of feminine knowledge in the 260-day cycle and related divinatory and ritual activities. Reconsidering Olmec Visual Culture is the first study that situates the unique hollow babies of Formative Mesoamerica within the context of prominent females and the prevalent imagery of gestation and birth. It is also the first major art historical study of La Venta and the first to identify Mesoamerica’s earliest creation narrative. It provides a more nuanced understanding of how later societies, including Teotihuacan and West Mexico, as well as the Maya, either rejected certain Formative Period visual forms, rituals, social roles, and concepts or adopted and transformed them into the enduring themes of Mesoamerican symbol systems. Contents 8 Preface 12 Acknowledgments 16 1. Rediscovering Women and Gestation in Olmec Visual Culture 22 A Cradle of Civilization 22 Mesoamerica and Its Visual Culture 23 Early Interpretations of the First Known Olmec Sculptures 26 New Questions in Olmec Studies 30 Is Gender or Gestation the Compelling Issue 31 How the Book Develops: Content and Methodologies 36 2. The Tale of the Were-Jaguar 38 The Birth of the Were-Jaguar 40 One Were-Jaguar or Many Deities? 46 The First Attempt to Slay the Were-Jaguar 48 The Were-Jaguar as a Shamanic Alter Ego 48 Monstrous Congenital Anomalies 49 Pantheons of Deities or Symbols of Vital Forces? 49 Shamanism in an Ecological Context 51 The Rebirth of the Maize Deity 52 Signs of Life 53 3. The Sowing and Dawning of the Human-Maize Seed 56 Images of the Unborn 57 The Formative Mesoamerican Embryo and Its Matrix of Associations 66 Ethnographic Analogies 79 Hollow Babies 85 A Contemporary Baby in a Boat: Niñopa 90 Conclusions about Embryos, Fetuses, and Babies 94 4. Tracking Gender, Gestation, and Narrativity Through the Early Formative 96 The Archaic Period, 10,000 to 2000 BC: The Beginning of Visual Symbols 96 The Initial Formative, circa 1900 to 1400 BC 98 The Early Formative, circa 1400-900 BC 110 Fluctuations in Visual Culture During the Initial and Early Formative Periods 153 Discussion: Maize Technology I: Fermentation 99 Discussion: Maize Technology II: Nixtamalization 109 5. La Venta’s Buried Offerings: Women and Other Revelations 156 Topography and Sources of Stone 157 Discovery, Excavation, and Chronology of La Venta 160 Surveying La Venta’s Visual Culture Through Time 164 Women and the Unborn Return to Prominence 192 6. Female Water and Earth Supernaturals: The Massive Offerings, Mosaic Pavements, and Mixe “Work of the Earth” 198 Why Construct the Massive Offerings? 198 Mixe Beliefs in Earth, Water, and Thunder Supernormal Entities 202 La Venta’s Mosaic Pavements 205 Offerings Inseminating the Flowering Earth 212 Massive Offerings: Contained Water 213 Mixe Healers, Midwives, and Rituals, and Their Olmec Antecedents 214 Female Shamans 215 The Mosaic Pavements as Conventionalized Symbols 218 Politics, Protection, and Healing 218 7. A Processional Visual Narrative at La Venta 220 Previous Investigations of Olmec Creation Narratives 221 Patterns for the Distribution of Monumental Sculptures 223 A Processional Visual Narrative 232 8. La Venta’s Creation and Origins Narrative 236 An Approach to Visual Narratives from Preliterate Societies 236 The Narrative Stations 242 Station One: A Womb with Three Fetuses 242 Station Two: A Quincunx of Thrones 250 Station 3: The Dawning of Human-Maize 261 Station 4: The Female Sources of Life: Earth and Water 267 Station 5: The Bodiless Heads 273 Station 6: The Phallic Column 279 Inserting Politics into the Creation and Origins Narrative 280 Alternative Reading Orders 281 Conclusions and Questions 282 9. A Scattering of Seeds 284 Assessing Arguments for Some Major Points 285 Modes of Communication 289 Where Did Olmec Ideas Go? 295 Asking and Answering the Fundamental Questions 297 Appendix 1. La Venta Monuments by Format 300 Appendix 2. Comparison of Mesoamerican Creation and Origins Narratives 307 Appendix 3. Shape-Shifters and Werewolves to Were-Jaguars: A Brief Chronology 317 Notes 320 Bibliography 330 Index 348 Content: Rediscovering women and gestation in Olmec visual culture. A cradle of civilization Mesoamerica and its visual culture Early interpretations of the first known Olmec sculptures New questions in Olmec studies Is gender or gestation the compelling issue? How the book develops : content and methodologies -- The tale of the were-jaguar. The birth of the were-jaguar One were-jaguar or many deities? The first attempt to slay the were-jaguar The were-jaguar as a shamanic alter ego Monstrous congenital anomalies Pantheons of deities or symbols of vital forces? Shamanism in an ecological context The rebirth of the maize deity Signs of life -- The sowing and dawning of the human-maize seed. Images of the unborn The formative Mesoamerican embryo and its matrix of associations Ethnographic analogies Hollow babies A contemporary baby in a boat : Niñopa Conclusions about embryos, fetuses, and babies -- Tracking gender, gestation, and narrativity through the early formative. The archaic period, 10,000 to 2000 BC : the beginning of visual symbols The initial formative, circa 1900 to 1400 BC The early formative, circa 1400-900 BC Fluctuations in visual culture during the initial and early formative periods Discussion : Maize technology. 1, Fermentation Discussion : Maize technology. 2, Nixtamalization -- La Venta's buried offerings : women and other revelations. Topography and sources of stone Discovery, excavation, and chronology of La Venta Surveying La Venta's visual culture through time Women and the unborn return to prominence -- Female water and earth supernaturals : the massive offerings, mosaic pavements, and Mixe "work of the earth". Why construct massive offerings? Mixe beliefs in earth, water, and thunder supernormal entities La Venta's mosaic pavements Offerings inseminating the flowering earth Massive offerings : contained water Mixe healers, midwives, and rituals, and their Olmec antecedents Female shamans The mosaic pavements as conventionalized symbols Politics, protection, and healing -- A processional visual narrative at La Venta. Previous investigations of Olmec creation narratives Patterns for the distribution of monumental sculptures A processional visual narrative -- La Venta's creation and origins narrative. An approach to visual narratives from preliterate societies The narrative stations (Station one: A womb with three fetuses Station two: A quincunx of thrones Station three: The dawning of human-maize Station four: The female sources of life : earth and water Station five: The bodiless heads Station six: The phallic column) Inserting politics into the creation and origins narrative Alternative reading orders Conclusions and questions -- A scattering of seeds. Assessing arguments for some major points Modes of communication Where did Olmec ideas go? Asking and answering the fundamental questions -- Appendix 1. La Venta monuments by format -- Appendix 2. Comparison of Mesoamerican creation and origins narratives -- Appendix 3. Shape-shifters and werewolves to were-jaguars : a brief chronology. Groundbreaking Study Of Gestational Imagery On Ancient Olmec Monuments And Objects Brings To Light Mesoamerica's Earliest Creation Narrative And Traces Its Evolution Into One Of The Enduring Themes Of Mesoamerican Ritual Life And Art. Rediscovering Women And Gestation In Olmec Visual Culture -- The Tale Of The Were-jaguar -- The Sowing And Dawning Of The Human-maize Seed --tracking Gender, Gestation, And Narrativity Through The Early Formative -- La Venta's Buried Offerings : Women And Other Revelations -- Female Water And Earth Supernaturals : The Massive Offerings , Mosaic Pavements, And Mixe Work Of The Earth -- A Processional Visual Narrative At La Venta -- La Venta's Creation And Origins Narrative -- A Scattering Of Seeds -- Appendix 1. La Venta's Monuments By Format -- Appendix 2. Comparison Of Mesoamerican Creation And Origins Narratives -- Appendix 3. Shape-shifters And Werewolves To Were-jaguars : A Brief Chronology. By Carolyn E. Tate. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 309-325) And Index. Annotation Recently, scholars of Olmec visual culture have identified symbols for umbilical cords, bundles, and cave-wombs, as well as a significant number of women portrayed on monuments and as figurines. In this study, Carolyn Tate demonstrates that these subjects were part of a major emphasis on gestational imagery in Formative Period Mesoamerica This groundbreaking study of gestational imagery on ancient Olmec monuments and objects brings to light Mesoamerica's earliest creation narrative and traces its evolution into one of the enduring themes of Mesoamerican ritual life and art.