La Venta is one of the largest and most famous of Olmec cities located in the area of southern Tobasco and Veracruz. The city is located in Mexico on the northeastern coast of Mesoamerica. Other Olmec centers developed at San Lorenzo and Laguna de los Cerros. These cities were not only religious sites, but active settlements that housed artisans and farmers, as well as religious specialists. La Venta was inhabited by people of the Olmec Culture from around 800 BC to about 400 BC after which the site seems to have been abandoned.
Though little is known about everyday La Venta life, it is thought that subsistence was obtained by hunting, fishing and horticultural practices. Houses were constructed of wood, clay and palm leaves.
Stone alter at La Venta
The site is known for its large stone sculptures, some depicting Negroid-like heads. Some stones at the site are from as far away as 60 miles, weighing over 4 tons. Other sculptures, in stone and jade, include depictions of monkeys, serpents and the jaguar. The jaguar, or "were-jaguar," a human-like jaguar figure, was one of the major themes in Olmec culture. The "were-jaguar" may have been seen as a super-natural entity. This is similar to cultures in Ancient Egypt that depicted other half-animal, half-human figures. Another similarity between the Olmec and Egyptian builders was the use of silver "staples" to hold the stones of their pyramids together.
Olmec sculpture
La Venta was a religious and trade center. The center of the city was built on top of a high mound structure. Like San Lorenzo, the city was made up of temples and pyramids which were used in the religious ceremonies of the Olmec. Two large pyramids dominated the city of La Venta. The larger of the two was at the south side of the city. It is a cone-shaped pyramid approximately 100 feet tall and almost 200 feet in diameter (Hancock 1995:126).
Another primary activity at La Venta was the import and export of trade goods. Trade was made possible by easy access to rivers and the Gulf of Mexico. Strong allies were made through trade relations.
The Olmecs were an advanced society of their time. They developed their own hieroglyphic writing, a calendar, and even experimented with brain surgery.
Hancock, Graham: Fingerprints of the Gods, Crown Publishing 1995 pg. 126
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