The Rise of the Olmec

What do monuments tell us about the soceities that created them?

a.) Why do you think these monuments

were created?

Lincoln Memorial
Christ the Redeemer b.) Who ordered them to be created?
(Rio de Janeiro) What kind of political organization
and funding were necessary to put
these monuments on the sites?

c.) What kinds of materials did they use

to create them?
The Statue of Liberty

Washington
d.) Were the building materials near the
Memorial
site where the monuments are
displayed?

Benito Juarez Memorial

e.) What was the social status of the
Mexico City
craftsmen who made them?

El Obelisco (Buenos
Aires, Argentina)
f.) What tools may have been used?

Cuahtemoc
Memorial (Tijuana,
g.) How long do you estimate it took to
Baja California)
complete each project?



Develop a Thesis: Do the giant sculptures prove that the Olmec were part of a complex civilization?

1.) What kind of skills would have

been necessary.



2.) What kind of social and political
organization may have been
required?




3.) Did the work require the existence
of a supreme ruler?




4.) Did the work require many
specialized jobs?





5.) Could a hunting and gathering
band of, say thirty people have
produced and placed these heads?
Could an agricultural village
population have done it?

Resources: https://geology.com/rocks/basalt.shtml


Comparing Different Interpretations of Olmec Complex Society












































\