Jade ca. 1100-400 BCE Height: 1.875 in; Width: 1.625 in Other – Ritual Symbolism
This Olmec dark green jade maskette, in the shape of a head, was probably worn around the neck as a pendant. The idealized composite alludes to the supernatural: Almond-shaped eyes and slightly downturned mouth, with a wide, prominent nose, all traits commonly found in depictions of Olmec otherworldly beings. The whistling pendant may have given the wearer a new identity, perhaps that of an ancestor or a god.
The Olmec civilization is known as an archaeological culture. That is, what is known about the Olmec is based on artifacts, rather than texts. They are considered the earliest known major Mesoamerican civilization, who first occupied Soconusco municipality in Veracruz and then the tropical lowlands of the modern-day Mexican states of Veracruz and Tabasco. It has been speculated that the Olmecs are derived in part from the neighboring Mokaya people, who resided in the region of Soconusco, Veracruz.
The Olmecs flourished during Mesoamerica’s formative period, dating roughly from as early as 1500 BCE to about 400 BCE (Preclassical Period of Mesoamerica). Pre-Olmec cultures had flourished since about 3500 BCE (Paleo-Indians), but by 1600–1500 BCE, the early Olmec culture had emerged, and centered on the San Lorenzo Tenochtitlán site near the coast in southeast Veracruz.
