The Olmec Legacy

แชร์
ฝัง
  • เผยแพร่เมื่อ 28 เม.ย. 2024
  • The Olmec were the first great civilization of Mesoamerica. Despite being late comers, they bloomed with incredible speed and left an enduring legacy across all of Central America.
    Patreon: / ancientamericas
    Facebook: / ancientamericas​
    Special thanks Marco Vingato for his permission of image use.
    Bibliography and Sources:
    docs.google.com/document/d/1B...

ความคิดเห็น • 12K

  • @MarcoPono
    @MarcoPono 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1589

    Greetings! Thank you for your work, I really appreciate what youre doing.
    Im a Mexican Native American and I can tell you with no doubt that the facial features carved on these heads are very native of that region. I have travelled and made friends around and have seen these features in many native peoples. It is not uncommon to have a friend teased because he "looks like an olmeca head".
    I remember that in my Kickboxing class was a guy from that region, we called him LaMolle because he looked like an olmec head and he seemed to be made of stone, you could counter with jabs and it would get you nowhere, his nose would not bleed, his eye sockets would barely swell, and he would keep fighting.
    Maybe the olmeca standard of beauty revolved around the rugged features of a warrior.

    • @AncientAmericas
      @AncientAmericas  2 ปีที่แล้ว +207

      Thank you! I wish I could broadcast this comment very loud for the people in the back.

    • @e.diamond4080
      @e.diamond4080 2 ปีที่แล้ว +73

      That region also has had Africans transported in since the colonial period, no? And we don't know about the pre-colonial period. It's not impossible that other people besides and before Columbus learned to navigate the oceans. In fact, it's ridiculous to think the first to America would have been the Spanish. That by no means discredits the distinguished accomplishments or dignity of the old civilizations of the American continent. In fact, the way that the most advanced civilizations have become so great is by not re-inventing the wheel so to speak.

    • @chrisgibson5267
      @chrisgibson5267 2 ปีที่แล้ว +197

      @@e.diamond4080 Hello. Be honest. Brutally honest if needs be.
      So if there's compelling evidence that other peoples crossed the Atlantic to the Americas then we'd be interested to see it.
      I've seen what's been shown so far and it's not even remotely convincing.
      Your use of the word ridiculous suggests an argument from personal incredulity and therefore a logical fallacy. That's not a great place to start.
      Seafaring requires specific technologies and infrastructure. Both of these would be evidenced in the archaeologiical record and local traditions on either side of the ocean.
      It can be shown that the Vikings, the Spanish and Portuguese, and the English all made the crossing.
      Ships and shipwrecks, settlements and colonies, docks and shipyards; they all leave traces.
      So we can, for instance, disregard the flights of fantasy indulged in by Graham Hancock.
      Then there's DNA. My family has Native American DNA ( Taino Indian so I'm told ).
      I'm guessing that these ancient peoples accomplished what they did by dint of their own indigenous ingenuity and indigenous efforts.

    • @davidtyson6869
      @davidtyson6869 2 ปีที่แล้ว +14

      you are a joke you make us laugh the native people of United States Mexican they all were black people this so-called Indians anchors Myers and Ash test mloecs it's so sad I truly feel sorry for you all your family's been lying to you The Truth is Out the black people will come from their true identity I'm glad I'm not you people goodbye

    • @moofacesTV
      @moofacesTV 2 ปีที่แล้ว +55

      @@e.diamond4080 Not just that region try all of latin america. Do a DNA test on people who you think don't have african DNA. Who was Yanga? Etc. The blood is there just watered down the further you leave out of that region. 3 racial mixtures common in all of Latin America. And yes even in Mexico. African, Spanish and Native ancestry. Do a basic 23andme google search will tell you the average ancestry. Looks are deceiving. Slavery was bigger in Latin America than USA.

  • @trevorsherwood4324
    @trevorsherwood4324 ปีที่แล้ว +84

    “Let’s take a moment to thank the Olmecs for helping bestowing chocolate on this cruel world...”
    *chef kiss*

  • @user-hw9yf2wn4v
    @user-hw9yf2wn4v 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1072

    I am forever impressed by the OLMECS. I remember an exhibition I saw in Moscow on American ART and I immediately fell in love with the Aztecs, Toltecs, Olmecs, Mayas, and Incas. The Americas have produced such wealth and history. I have travelled in Mexico, Guatemala and Peru besides other countries of Latin America and I can't get enough of this history. They were people who left such a legacy for us that we cannot ignore them. May the spirit of those ancient Americans live on for ever.

    • @AncientAmericas
      @AncientAmericas  3 ปีที่แล้ว +45

      Agreed!

    • @AZdude
      @AZdude 2 ปีที่แล้ว +59

      Such an awesome comment bro. Thanks, we love you too. My ancestors were very much so as important as ancient Europeans, Middle East civilizations. I myself love the history of the Rus

    • @kylenolan9679
      @kylenolan9679 2 ปีที่แล้ว +30

      Why do they hide dat from teaching dat in American history I guess it would show dat Colombus didn't discover America compare da statues to da ones in Ancient Ethiopia meaning all black people didn't come on no slave ships 💪😎

    • @judaprinxbeatz.8008
      @judaprinxbeatz.8008 2 ปีที่แล้ว +31

      YOU SHOULD SEE THE OTHER OLMEC HEAD CALLED 'EL NEGRO'. CLEAR DEPICTION OF AN AFRICAN MAN ;)

    • @officialdirectorscutmusicv426
      @officialdirectorscutmusicv426 2 ปีที่แล้ว +12

      YOUR NAME IS "Peter Furst" you don't want Black and Brown people to have any connection to Africa.
      The white Man is Scared we Black and Brown will wake up.

  • @surlyguvna
    @surlyguvna 10 หลายเดือนก่อน +25

    Incredible video. My mother's mother came from the mountains of El Salvador. She would often talk about the story from her Great Grandmother's time. She would say they came to be there from another places. The place where the big heads that watched and told stories. You showed the Olmec's area of influence, and it makes sense now. Thank you. I wish my grandma were alive to tell her she was right. She had a small black stone head with the same motifs. It was buried with her when she passed.

  • @wonkaIndian100
    @wonkaIndian100 10 หลายเดือนก่อน +100

    My Family are indigenous Zapotecs from Oaxaca and some of us have more Maya features and some of us look just like the Olmecs. Sometimes people confuse us for being Polynesian or from the Philippines because of our almond shaped eyes etc.

    • @likpit
      @likpit 6 หลายเดือนก่อน +5

      Yeah i still dont understand how people dont know the connection with Polynesia and even Australian DNA and even clues to connection of the old world and new world via Keystone cuts DNA in Peru there was people in the Americas way longer than people know but something happened 11 thousand years ago where they had to rebuild again.

    • @tgraham72
      @tgraham72 5 หลายเดือนก่อน

    • @donaldnixon919
      @donaldnixon919 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +2

      The population today aren't the same population thousands of years ago

    • @wonkaIndian100
      @wonkaIndian100 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +8

      @@donaldnixon919To some degree you are correct, but our people in particular just started to integrate into western society when our parents migrated to the States from their village and all of us look like our ancestors from way back then. I and a lot of my cousins look similar to the Zapotec artifacts you see in museums or found in archeological sites. I’ve also done a DNA test and confirmed I am full blooded Indigenous American.

    • @ShapeShiftingStardust33
      @ShapeShiftingStardust33 2 หลายเดือนก่อน +4

      I can totally relate... when I was child in school and our textbook had images of the Olmec head statues in it ,my entire class made fun of me because I looked exactly like it. The resemblance was uncanny. And now as an adult I understand why it makes sense... both my parents are Mexican indigenous. One of my grandmother's spoke the indigenous language of her people. People still ask me if I am either Polynesian or from the Philippines till this day. Lol

  • @johnmcnulty4425
    @johnmcnulty4425 2 ปีที่แล้ว +412

    Mexico is a fascinating place with stunning landscapes!

    • @harrylovato8958
      @harrylovato8958 2 ปีที่แล้ว

      M

    • @CLASSICALFAN100
      @CLASSICALFAN100 2 ปีที่แล้ว +6

      And, tacos. Lots and lots and lots and **LOTS** of tacos. Hey, if tacos are what you're after, go no further! You've reached **TACO CENTRAL**...(ROFL)

    • @jitumenefee1323
      @jitumenefee1323 2 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      Do Mexicans and other Spanish speaking Hispanics truly believe that they have any connection to these ancient Black people? If so they really don’t know their history and that’s sad 😞

    • @Andres-uw2kf
      @Andres-uw2kf 2 ปีที่แล้ว +14

      @@jitumenefee1323 yeah in fact we do. Do you know ur own history? Sad you claim others instead of claiming ur own heritage. Pathetic

    • @Andres-uw2kf
      @Andres-uw2kf 2 ปีที่แล้ว +44

      @@jitumenefee1323 they are not black. They are Amerindian.

  • @bluefish4999
    @bluefish4999 2 ปีที่แล้ว +363

    I find it sad people arguing over who made these beautiful sculptures, the indigenous population should be allowed to be proud of what their ancestors did. I've seen some of these sculptures in Mexico City at Museo Nacional de Antropología, I suggest anyone start there if you're interested in indigenous Mexican culture.

    • @nomochances777
      @nomochances777 2 ปีที่แล้ว +60

      Most modern day Mexicans are NOT from the original people that made all these artifacts. The original people were slaughtered and or left. The closest people to S.American meso-American culture and bloodline are the typical black American people. Dreads, Braids, Basketball and other ball games. Millions of Black people were not shipped against their will from Africa, they were already here.

    • @goingrawwithhuck3047
      @goingrawwithhuck3047 2 ปีที่แล้ว +17

      Nomo Chances, that truth & facts are to much for the brainwashed society to comprehend…

    • @bluefish4999
      @bluefish4999 2 ปีที่แล้ว +115

      @@nomochances777 Modern day Mexicans? There are 17-18 indigenous groups in Mexico that make up 25% of the country. I've traveled Mexico since the 70s and lived there for four years, in the 90s, you couldn't find Mexico on a map.

    • @SergioSalasP
      @SergioSalasP 2 ปีที่แล้ว +16

      @@nomochances777 You can still find pure indigenous people in remote areas of Mexican you dumbass.

    • @nomochances777
      @nomochances777 2 ปีที่แล้ว +12

      @@SergioSalasP ... Yes I know there are so-called Black people in Mexico and those people wasn't even allowed on the National Census until 2015.

  • @andrewfortmusic
    @andrewfortmusic ปีที่แล้ว +48

    I have no real connection to ancient Meso-America, but being an artist, I deeply appreciate the complexity of their art, and I think it's beautiful that it is their art by which we remember them. Since my first inquiry into the Olmec, I've been very impressed by those infamous basalt heads: their features are so clearly defined, the carving technique so delicate and precise, and their expressions communicate so much longing and internal struggle, it's hard for me to look away. Perhaps it's projection on my part, but I think that might be the way they would want to be remembered.

    • @jj-bp3fr
      @jj-bp3fr 2 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

      If your impressed and like the Olmec heads, you'll also like the colosal Toltec statues, the "Atlantes de Tula" in the state of Hidalgo. Some think they were space warriors due to the weapon carvings in their hands and also represent Quetzalcoatl. They weigh 8.5 tons and some are more than 4-5 meters in height, carved in basalt.

  • @duanephillips2343
    @duanephillips2343 ปีที่แล้ว +20

    This is so cool. I studied Mesoamerican culture and art as an anthropology major. I even spent a semester in Mexico in 1980 - what a great experience.

    • @jimmyjasi-
      @jimmyjasi- ปีที่แล้ว +1

      These Olmecs head features are certainly not "European or African" but they may be trait of "population Y" that David Reich, Jeniffer Raff and. Skoglund discuss extensively.
      We know already enough archeology and genetics to debunk any pseudoscientific claims of pre-Columbian"white gods" or other transatlantic contacts, but we still don't really know how many waves had or how diverse population of Ancient Beringia was, we also know now from David Reich that some Native Americans even migrated back to Asia some 5000 ya. and perhaps it were Native American sailors rather than Polynesians that settled Rapa Nui first!
      Pity that so few Native People wants to get their DNA tested. Great loss for humanity

    • @JohnDoe-ih6mj
      @JohnDoe-ih6mj 10 หลายเดือนก่อน

      What do you think about every retard that think they were all black

    • @Geovanni___
      @Geovanni___ 9 หลายเดือนก่อน

      What are you thoughts on the purepecha ppl and their mystery of origin? Would love to know if you've found anything interesting

  • @SimonSozzi7258
    @SimonSozzi7258 3 ปีที่แล้ว +431

    Interesting fact about the Olmec Heads is that the bottoms are flattened on a slant so that they would be naturally facing upwards towards the sky. I think they should be displayed this way.

    • @watcherspirit2351
      @watcherspirit2351 3 ปีที่แล้ว +11

      The fatness of the heads is the flat part of the thrones from which they were carved.

    • @GregGarciaHouse
      @GregGarciaHouse 3 ปีที่แล้ว +13

      @@watcherspirit2351 yes! They recycled the stones. From the Throne to the Stonehead of the same King. There’s a lot of evidence of that

    • @judaprinxbeatz.8008
      @judaprinxbeatz.8008 2 ปีที่แล้ว +26

      FUN FACT: THE OLMEC ARE PEOPLE OF AFRICAN DESCENT.

    • @GregGarciaHouse
      @GregGarciaHouse 2 ปีที่แล้ว +30

      @@judaprinxbeatz.8008 of course, in the same way we all are

    • @silverbubble1037
      @silverbubble1037 2 ปีที่แล้ว +32

      @@judaprinxbeatz.8008 no they are not, indigenous people in this region who are clearly not of direct African descent have these facial features

  • @josepalacios843
    @josepalacios843 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +12

    Tabasco native here. Thanks for sharing this, I really enjoyed your exposition and tone/delivery. I didn't know Olmecs [possibly] originated that MesoAm calendar. There is a sense of community around the word "Olmec" in my hometown. It's weird because there is little connection with modern "peoples" so it feels like cheap/manufactured 21st century tribalism. Like Italians from Brooklyn that can't speak Italian, no offense. "You're a modern Mexican from Tabasco, not an Olmec, calm down". I saw it in another comment and can corroborate. "He looks like an Olmec head" is a common way of mocking someone's physical looks in Tabasco, even in 2023. That human face, the Olmec -face is still around in Tabasco, maybe a little bit to the south of Veracruz as well. They do not look like your median face from the Yucatan peninsula (Maya) or the Valle de Mexico (Mexica and others).

  • @toddp.3872
    @toddp.3872 ปีที่แล้ว +24

    My father is from Costa Rica. The natives that I've met have VERY similar characteristics to those head monuments. Very interesting.

    • @tedolphbundler724
      @tedolphbundler724 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      So they are polynesian?

    • @toddp.3872
      @toddp.3872 ปีที่แล้ว +23

      ​@@tedolphbundler724Ah, you're one of those people. Trying to start drama in the comments. 👍🏻 Enjoy.

    • @tedolphbundler724
      @tedolphbundler724 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@toddp.3872 Yep.

    • @SpartanChief2277
      @SpartanChief2277 ปีที่แล้ว +14

      @@tedolphbundler724 no theyre natives, would u say south east asians are polynesian?

    • @tedolphbundler724
      @tedolphbundler724 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      @@SpartanChief2277 Maybe! I hadn't thought of it, but sure.

  • @adreabrooks11
    @adreabrooks11 2 ปีที่แล้ว +319

    As an artist, I'm always amazed by the realism of Olmec statues! Carving lean, well-muscled figures (like those popularized by the Hellenistic Greek era) is already a difficult process. However, I can tell you from personal struggles that adding subcutaneous tissue (fat, etc.) adds an other (literal) layer of difficulty, and is very difficult to master.
    As with all art, some of the Olmec works are more masterful than others - but compare a Greek Hercules, the Olmec wrestler and a modern-day pro-wrestler or Maori haka performer. It's clear that the Olmec depiction looks much more like a real, fleshy human being that one might meet in life.
    The fact that these figures are rendered in a medium as tricky as basalt makes it even more amazing.
    And bear in mind: the Olmec was one of those progenitor societies, with (as far as we know) no preceding tradition of dedicated artistry. Sure, there were people who *made* art - but there was no long-running history of artistic tradesmanship to draw on, as there were for the vaunted Greco-Roman or Egyptian styles.
    I've always wondered why Olmec art doesn't get more recognition and praise.

    • @AncientAmericas
      @AncientAmericas  2 ปีที่แล้ว +29

      Thanks for providing an artist's perspective! It's not one I usually hear.

    • @mrrodriguezHLP
      @mrrodriguezHLP ปีที่แล้ว +29

      More impressive yet, they carved into basalt, a very hard stone, with no metal tools. The techniques can only be imagined, but the incredulous are quick to theorize with alien lasers and ancient CNC machines. They never consider a lifetime dedicated to one single task, just might lead to ingenuity and expertise.

    • @adreabrooks11
      @adreabrooks11 ปีที่แล้ว +9

      @@mrrodriguezHLP Agreed! As I mentioned in my original post, basalt is a very challenging medium. My guess is that, rather than chisels, these were made by grinding away the stone - a process which would take forever, but possibly not as long as the constant maintenance that would be needed for chisels. Mind you, that's 100% guesswork on my part as, regrettably, I've never (yet) been close enough to an Olmec carving to study such tiny details.

    • @Brokentwobutton
      @Brokentwobutton ปีที่แล้ว +9

      @@mrrodriguezHLP People talking about ancient CNC machines amaze me with how they could skip over real abrasive technology like bow drills, planks, cloth, or cordage used with an abrasive powder. They'll say that sandpaper won't work granite hardness material without even knowing that aluminum oxide is what makes most modern sandpaper and that, I presume, any ancient culture that could access granite could access quartz sand.

    • @pasetherichez
      @pasetherichez ปีที่แล้ว +4

      I don't think there statues just imagine if they were real human heads petrified!!!

  • @mexico.gexperience
    @mexico.gexperience ปีที่แล้ว +53

    I just found your channel, and suscribed right away. I'm a mixed mexican from Oaxaca with mostly zapotec blood. Always fascinated about our culture, some of my earliest memories are walking down Monte Albán's buildings, so every opportunity I had over the years old visiting old archeological sites I would take It. I went to architecture school in Central México and I learned more about this ancient native América civilizations.
    Almost 7 years ago I moved to Cancún and I friend of mine suggested me to start working as a guide in the area, It wasn't a difficult decision to make. I got certified and now I do private and collective tours in places like Chichén Itzá, Cobá, Tulum, Ek Balam, maya communities and more. And everytime It keeps growing the fascination and respect for my people of old. This video is one of the best I have seen about Olmec, thanks for putting a lot of work behind, I do videos myself and I know It really takes lots of sitting hours to come with something as good as this.
    Maybe we can meet if you come to this area, It would be great talking much deeper about the maya that for sure has a HUGE influence from Olmec.

    • @AncientAmericas
      @AncientAmericas  ปีที่แล้ว +4

      Thank you! You've got great content as well! What's your favorite site to give tours at?

    • @mexico.gexperience
      @mexico.gexperience ปีที่แล้ว +4

      @@AncientAmericas thanks for the complement, I try to put certain amount of effort on most things I do, but sometimes I'm so límited on time. Thanks for watching too. Right now I'm just missing 1.5 videos to finish everything you got from Mesoamerica. It's awesome so far! Thanks
      Now, answering your question, from the ones around here I would say EK BALAM, I would say It has all It needs on a Maya Classical Site even not being so large. It goes from a monumental Architecture, several writing on walls and carvings of monuments and stelas, a ball court, astronomical alignments, several visible periods of construction over the Classical and post Classical, walls, roads, stucco moldings, chultuns, and a Royalty tomb, which is a most see. Plus the fact you can still climb most buildings.
      CHICHÉN ITZÁ if you haven't visit It's also something you have to see. It unique for sure and there's a lot of things to talk about.
      COBÁ is has great interestings features to be honest and it has Jungle feeling. I would definitely also do It if you got Time.

  • @johnnyboy999
    @johnnyboy999 7 หลายเดือนก่อน +14

    Mexico has such beautiful history

    • @tedolphbundler724
      @tedolphbundler724 6 หลายเดือนก่อน +3

      Beyond beautiful.....intriguing, mysterious and perhaps a bit violent!

    • @automaticwriting4220
      @automaticwriting4220 6 หลายเดือนก่อน

      @@tedolphbundler724Fuckin every history is violent

    • @GeneralPadron
      @GeneralPadron 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

      A beautiful history of murder sacrifice of kidnapped villagers and tribes people...

    • @tedolphbundler724
      @tedolphbundler724 5 หลายเดือนก่อน

      The North American Indians were worse-genocidal maniacs!

    • @purpleblastoise
      @purpleblastoise 5 หลายเดือนก่อน

      ​@@tedolphbundler724Nothing compares to the European invaders barbarians

  • @skiptrace1888
    @skiptrace1888 ปีที่แล้ว +11

    Thank you for a most entertaining presentation of what could have been a most dry and boring history lesson. You kept it fresh and interesting throughout! Fasinating info and completely new insights of the past! ❤😂😊

  • @lucio.martinez
    @lucio.martinez 3 ปีที่แล้ว +408

    Yes, as a young kid in my native México, I remember these big big stone heads on the roads to Acapulco, Guerrero, on way to visit family with my abuela.
    Cheers for my people!

    • @kiinyuum8001
      @kiinyuum8001 3 ปีที่แล้ว +16

      The Olmecs ....if you go CA, started, example like picture...the mańs head in the stone-- warrior stuff. Like we see now, US soldiers paint their face, Chinese, Russians...
      The Jaguar then was symbolism of strength and man becoming the Jaguar....Indians in CA look just like those stone faces.
      Don’t let anyone still our history

    • @mountain-roots
      @mountain-roots 2 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@kiinyuum8001 th-cam.com/video/SnnMfHTDNOM/w-d-xo.html

    • @middlepillar9257
      @middlepillar9257 2 ปีที่แล้ว +26

      Bro if you saw a olmec in modern times you'd say it's a nigga lol let's be honest

    • @mountain-roots
      @mountain-roots 2 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      @@middlepillar9257 niagra falls was a tree. Now a stump

    • @moyzzhernandez5712
      @moyzzhernandez5712 2 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      HOY EN DIA LAS KEBESAS OLMECAS ESTAN EN LAS CASAS DE NUESTROS POLITICOS DEL PRI, PAN. NUESTROS POLITICOS HAN SAQUEADO AL PAIS DURANTE AÑOS (FOBAPROA) Y SEGUIMOS PAGANDO.

  • @yayagazab4449
    @yayagazab4449 2 ปีที่แล้ว +179

    A Cancun Chechen-Itza tour guide told our group that the chewing gum company Chiclets derived its name from a Mayan, possibly Olmec, word “chi-cle” which is the sound made when they would chew the rubber harvested from the trees. An American businessman that visited Chichen Itza in the 1920’s asked the locals what they had in their mouth & he got the idea of Chiclets from his visit. This is what I remember hearing.

    • @AncientAmericas
      @AncientAmericas  2 ปีที่แล้ว +48

      That's correct! The gum came from the chicle sap. Eventually the chewing gum companies figured out how to make artificial gum. There's a whole history behind the boom and bust of the Chicle business.

    • @linnymaemullins3319
      @linnymaemullins3319 2 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      Cool👍😊

    • @JuanGonzalez-cg8fk
      @JuanGonzalez-cg8fk 2 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      as I remember chicle comes from the tree call Xitle and the guys name who commercialized it was Mr Chiclets as with this fact I have no science to back it up. It is what I heard from my father..

    • @joedoe5738
      @joedoe5738 2 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      Just like Pepsi,the sound when you open the bottle or can!!! Pep-sssii

    • @Halcon_Sierreno
      @Halcon_Sierreno ปีที่แล้ว +12

      The whole world owes a lot to the ancient people's of Mexico.

  • @OmnipotentO
    @OmnipotentO ปีที่แล้ว +14

    Really incredible episode, man. Good job. The Olmecs were absolutely an incredible people, culture, civilization.
    I recommend the anthropology museum in Mexico city. Mind blowing stuff in there. I could spend entire days in there just looking at all the stuff.

    • @AncientAmericas
      @AncientAmericas  ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Thank you!

    • @charlesyoung7436
      @charlesyoung7436 7 หลายเดือนก่อน

      Anyone else notice a resemblance between the ceremonial sunken court of Teopateluanitlan (at 22:56) and the much larger ball courts that came after the Olmecs?

  • @davidlee4853
    @davidlee4853 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Amazingly succinct considering a vast topic in time. You are easy to understand like having a conversation with a friend. Thanks for your simplicity.

  • @calska140
    @calska140 3 ปีที่แล้ว +207

    I'm probably one of very few people who finds a previously undiscovered , informative video on the olmecs, and fistpumps and shouts "WOOOO!" like they're at a sporting event.

    • @dissident_sojourner
      @dissident_sojourner 3 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      Here here

    • @lenaely6146
      @lenaely6146 3 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      Yes but I don't know that this video is more than fluff and theory

    • @CEHM82
      @CEHM82 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Ditto lol

    • @LuisAldamiz
      @LuisAldamiz 2 ปีที่แล้ว

      You better do, the life of the team is at a stake if they lose. ;p
      Well, we don't know if Olmecs were into human sacrifice, it was just a joking comment.

    • @davidtyson6869
      @davidtyson6869 2 ปีที่แล้ว

      are you aware the OLMECS they were in communication with the aliens and furthermore they was feeding the reptilians who are blood drinkers what do you think all of those sacrifices were about please take care of yourself peace and love

  • @rce6411
    @rce6411 ปีที่แล้ว +108

    May the legacy of this great ancient civilization never be forgotten. Viva Mexico

    • @perceptionmanagement2116
      @perceptionmanagement2116 ปีที่แล้ว

      Mex is a shit hole. It should be colonized be White people.

    • @rce6411
      @rce6411 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@perceptionmanagement2116 lol Shut the hell up

    • @lalacanamar
      @lalacanamar ปีที่แล้ว +4

      It won't dissappear.... I found put thru Ancestry,that I am a descendant

    • @Frommerman
      @Frommerman ปีที่แล้ว +3

      @@lalacanamar Basically everyone with any ancestors vaguely in that region is.

    • @shaolin1derpalm
      @shaolin1derpalm ปีที่แล้ว +2

      If you don't mind me asking, how do you feel about the popular fringe assertion that olmec were actually black?

  • @rinaldicansino56
    @rinaldicansino56 ปีที่แล้ว +5

    My grand father was from vera cruz, mexico..when i see his picture, he, looks like a dark skin apache indian..He later moved to honduras were he, met my grandmother who was from belize.. My grandmother was a mulatto half black, AND half white. My father was born in honduras were he, met my mother, who also has indian features and her skin tone is is triguen~a. Im proud to be born in central america, our ancestors were a great people. Great job, thanks for the video, Blessings...

  • @hh4826
    @hh4826 6 หลายเดือนก่อน +3

    The quote near the end from Michael Coe really hammers it home. Impactful

  • @no_biggie_smalls
    @no_biggie_smalls 3 ปีที่แล้ว +90

    I've lived in Tres Zapotes for two years when I was 10. It's still one of my favorite places in the world

    • @lucio.martinez
      @lucio.martinez 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      What state is that in?

    • @no_biggie_smalls
      @no_biggie_smalls 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      @@lucio.martinez Veracruz Mx

    • @lucio.martinez
      @lucio.martinez 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      @@no_biggie_smalls Órale, jarocholandia.
      Donde todo en Veracruz, es bello!
      Saludos Guerrerenses!

    • @no_biggie_smalls
      @no_biggie_smalls 3 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      @@lucio.martinez saludos bro, yo soy de Hidalgo pero Jarocholandia es bello al igual que todo Mexico 🙌🏼🙌🏼

    • @petecarroll3949
      @petecarroll3949 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Me No TV what-so-ever

  • @remytheroute6503
    @remytheroute6503 3 ปีที่แล้ว +630

    Can't break these olmec nose.

    • @AncientAmericas
      @AncientAmericas  3 ปีที่แล้ว +99

      Being buried for centuries has it's perks.

    • @HighRisksatx
      @HighRisksatx 3 ปีที่แล้ว +20

      😆😅🤣

    • @alexanderthegreat4358
      @alexanderthegreat4358 3 ปีที่แล้ว +14

      HAHAHAHAHA

    • @brendameteyer6377
      @brendameteyer6377 3 ปีที่แล้ว +83

      LOL, they left us evidence ERRRWHERE. We was here 😀

    • @samueltorres9961
      @samueltorres9961 3 ปีที่แล้ว +53

      Great comment soon he will say they where Aliens🤔😅

  • @adriancano3991
    @adriancano3991 ปีที่แล้ว +10

    I worked with a Mexican about 15 years ago. When I looked at him I knew he was a descendent of the Olmecs. Fat lips and I mean huge lips, fat nose, and Indian Hair. His ancestors come from South Mexico he explained. I believe him

    • @user-ux4ki7xt9i
      @user-ux4ki7xt9i 2 หลายเดือนก่อน

      And their genes came from Africa

    • @vamoneygroup
      @vamoneygroup 20 วันที่ผ่านมา

      A lot of people in South Mexico are from other places like Honduras or Cuba.

  • @jackjones9460
    @jackjones9460 6 หลายเดือนก่อน +3

    Thanks for your video! I’m fascinated by older and ancient cultures. I want to see how they’re connected to one another as well as to later civilizations.

  • @melissafreeman7416
    @melissafreeman7416 2 ปีที่แล้ว +125

    I love learning about all of my Native American “brothers and sisters” here in the America’s. Thank you for this video.

    • @AncientAmericas
      @AncientAmericas  2 ปีที่แล้ว +7

      Your welcome!

    • @LuisRios-bf9vn
      @LuisRios-bf9vn 2 ปีที่แล้ว +13

      Are you black because according to black people Olmecs we're black and so we're the native American

    • @melissafreeman7416
      @melissafreeman7416 2 ปีที่แล้ว +60

      @@LuisRios-bf9vn no, I’m an actual and true Native American who is indigenous to the America’s. I’m not just a person who is black or other with just a wishful theory who thinks they are truly indigenous to the America’s but aren’t.
      But thank you anyhow for asking. Goodbye.

    • @LuisRios-bf9vn
      @LuisRios-bf9vn 2 ปีที่แล้ว +6

      @@melissafreeman7416 I'm sure you heard of black people saying that they are the true native Americans and also claim that the Aztecs and Maya's were also black

    • @davidtyson6869
      @davidtyson6869 2 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      it is time for you to look up to find out where did your brothers and sisters come from due to the fact this is not the mother planet go to your computer Library Museum and look up the face found on Mars now you're being educated

  • @matthew_thefallen
    @matthew_thefallen ปีที่แล้ว +47

    I remember when I went for my first lesson at university about mesoamerican cultures that I was in awe discovering the symbologies they used and handed down generations after generations influencing the cultures that came after! The underworld concept is so fascinating!

  • @Elsanta666
    @Elsanta666 8 หลายเดือนก่อน +5

    Im a direct decedent of olmecs, from veracruz

  • @FezFindie
    @FezFindie ปีที่แล้ว +14

    As I've seen it being pointed out, a main reason why so many of these ancient cultures had pyramids as a "common theme"... is because it's simply the most stable possible shape in general rather than what those conspiracy/ancient astronaut theorists would claim. Probably figured out by all these cultures without influence from others. As well as figured as a guess by anyone with slightest hint of physics or recalling playing with building blocks.

    • @gmemory9419
      @gmemory9419 ปีที่แล้ว

      It's because of the fact that at one time there was on the planet a one world culture. If you believe that we are the first people to have civilization on the planet, then there is no use at all! However, there is mathematical evidence. th-cam.com/video/Xw9lTB0hTNU/w-d-xo.html (THIS IS NOT MY VIDEO) Get out your calculator!

    • @InvaderGIR98
      @InvaderGIR98 10 หลายเดือนก่อน +4

      Yeah honestly if there's anything that ancient civilizations, hell, even modern civilizations have taught us is that humans like to build gigantic things for art and spectacle.

    • @gradualuprisintheory
      @gradualuprisintheory 8 หลายเดือนก่อน

      Knowledge passed down.

  • @rebecastevens8892
    @rebecastevens8892 2 ปีที่แล้ว +283

    All of those ancient sculptures are breathtaking. Visiting the pyramids in Palenque is like being transported back to those ancient times. The jungle sounds, the mist, it’s a spiritual experience. I’m so proud of my Mexican heritage🇲🇽🇲🇽🇲🇽

    • @fiaestebanlara6092
      @fiaestebanlara6092 2 ปีที่แล้ว +6

      Straight up

    • @LaReinaPrieta
      @LaReinaPrieta 2 ปีที่แล้ว +6

      Your shit is Bs! You have nothing to add! Quik lying!

    • @charlesmarshall8965
      @charlesmarshall8965 2 ปีที่แล้ว +10

      I've been to Palenque many times. Mushroom tripping & enjoying the cascades below the ruinus. I very much miss it.

    • @davidtyson6869
      @davidtyson6869 2 ปีที่แล้ว +18

      excuse me Madam unfortunately you are not Mexican please do some research do not believe me or anyone else do some research and you will find out the original Mexicans were black people before your kind came out of the woods the Jungle the forest the caves and begin to mix in with the original people as usual with all nationality whiten out the original people and this is the reason all over the planet they was treated very badly because your ancestors knew who we were the fruit of bright intelligent civilized human beings on the planet Earth nonetheless you have a right to exist and you have a right to do research dig deep to find out who you are

    • @nyclassic4ever130
      @nyclassic4ever130 2 ปีที่แล้ว +40

      @@davidtyson6869 Bro stop reading the pseudo ghetto literature. I DO believe the olmecs were possibly black...i do know other waves of migration of blacks came after....but not to say all original mexicans were black. Come on now...

  • @capmidnite
    @capmidnite 2 ปีที่แล้ว +311

    What's fascinating about meso-American civilizations is that while Old World civilizations could borrow and learn from each other, the meso-Americans started from scratch.

    • @capmidnite
      @capmidnite 2 ปีที่แล้ว +36

      @cewilliams26 And you have proof of this? Citations from reputable authorities? Do you also think the Pyramids were built by aliens from outer space?

    • @capmidnite
      @capmidnite 2 ปีที่แล้ว +10

      @cewilliams26 I hear the earth is flat.

    • @Host.of.Nightmarez
      @Host.of.Nightmarez 2 ปีที่แล้ว +31

      @cewilliams26 someone's been watching too much hidden colors lmao

    • @Likexner
      @Likexner 2 ปีที่แล้ว +5

      @@capmidnite "reputable authorities"

    • @juanme555
      @juanme555 2 ปีที่แล้ว +10

      @@capmidnite
      Phoenicians setting up Carthage around 1000 B.C.E is common knowledge wtf .-.

  • @anandkkpr
    @anandkkpr ปีที่แล้ว +2

    Very educational and very, very appreciated. Thank you for your efforts!

  • @joseangelesmaderovilla4554
    @joseangelesmaderovilla4554 ปีที่แล้ว +4

    Fun fact, our current president Lic. Andres Manuel López Obrador aka AMLO is native from the state of Tabasco cradle of the Olmecs. He is the only president in our history that came from Tabasco. And he is very popular and beloved among mexicans especially in the southern states such as Chiapas, Oaxaca, Tabasco and Campeche... Vivan los Olmecas!🇲🇽 Y tu canal también por su maravilloso contenido! 👏🏽

  • @nicolewildman8976
    @nicolewildman8976 2 ปีที่แล้ว +118

    This video made me realise how much I missed learning about mesoamerican history and culture. I was able to see an Olmec carving of the colossal head in the Mexico city museum of Anthropology. It was an overwheming feeling standing next to a sculpture that was so ancient, it was carved with so much precision, you can just tell they paid attention to detail. They were very talented. Thank you so much for sharing this video....ps...I am deeply grateful to them for giving the world corn and chocolate.

    • @AncientAmericas
      @AncientAmericas  2 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      I agree!

    • @makisjnx007
      @makisjnx007 2 ปีที่แล้ว +9

      And vanilla

    • @ChillWill2050
      @ChillWill2050 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Yes, it’s been pretty much proven that those heads are Amero- Egyptian.
      th-cam.com/video/KMAtkjy_YK4/w-d-xo.html

    • @victorrenderos4635
      @victorrenderos4635 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Yes. Nicole....but dont forget. that. All these. Olmec Heads.. pyramids...stellas..etc...were found. Buried..and. took..years..to. clean...organize..and study..all about..these.advance culture.....Olmec. Mayas. Toltecs and else....describe a global flood..and. no trace.of any carving tool was ever found....to explain how. These heads were made.....THERE'S a lot to talk about. It but. Wish you luck. piecing together..this amazing Culture

    • @gladeloy3341
      @gladeloy3341 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      & potatoes

  • @larsedik
    @larsedik ปีที่แล้ว +34

    I've noticed a lot of people from eastern and NE Oaxaca who have features that look exactly like the Olmec heads. I did not notice it so much in Vera Cruz, however, but I've spent much more time in Oaxaca than I have in Vera Cruz. I prefer the food in Vera Cruz and Yucatan to Oaxaca, but I like Oaxacan (Zapotec) art the best.

    • @armanddumont3959
      @armanddumont3959 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Lars M- So, do you call those people in Oaxaca "Neegaz" too?

    • @roblogs7168
      @roblogs7168 ปีที่แล้ว +25

      @@armanddumont3959 you seem salty

    • @mr.motivation3797
      @mr.motivation3797 ปีที่แล้ว +16

      ​@@armanddumont3959 probably not considering they're not black.

    • @lewisc6539
      @lewisc6539 ปีที่แล้ว

      This is is true, many Oaxaquitas have such features. But usually, they’re very low IQ and rarely can speak Spanish.

    • @Imoldman
      @Imoldman ปีที่แล้ว +1

      You are entitled to your likes and dislikes, but man o man! Nothing like Mole from Oaxaca.🥰

  • @joeanderson8839
    @joeanderson8839 ปีที่แล้ว +14

    The Olmec were far more advanced than the Aztec or the Inca. I believe that we have bearly begun to scratch the surface when it comes to discovering their artifacts. I believe that they were here much longer than archeologists think. And I believe that their civilization was spread out over a much greater distance than just one corner of Mexico.

    • @mpforeverunlimited
      @mpforeverunlimited ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Definitely more than inca, but idk about aztec. Aztecs built on top of olmec

    • @blackcaesar4u
      @blackcaesar4u 10 หลายเดือนก่อน

      The Incas and Aztecs were the children of the black Chinese and Olmecs.

    • @11Mikuiztli
      @11Mikuiztli 2 หลายเดือนก่อน

      You think a lot of things.

  • @bosse641
    @bosse641 ปีที่แล้ว +6

    Their stone art is amazing.

  • @f_youtubecensorshipf_nazis
    @f_youtubecensorshipf_nazis 2 ปีที่แล้ว +87

    the americas have such a rich culture and so many people reject it to pretend we're europeans

    • @cattycorner8
      @cattycorner8 2 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      I think many/most west coast Americas indigenous are originally Asian (Polynesian, Thai, Malay, Filipino, etc.) from way, way back -

    • @jennifs6868
      @jennifs6868 2 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      @@cattycorner8 of course, like how the oldest people of south america look exactly like australians, and have been pushed to the end of patagonia, and are only very few remaining.

    • @YusufGinnah
      @YusufGinnah 2 ปีที่แล้ว +6

      The depth of the culture and history in this region is so often overlooked, yet this maybe the most diverse and unique but the least pursued, generally speaking.
      People think romantically of Egypt and India but there's so much here.
      With Quetzalcoatl and his legends to Sascayhuayman and Machu Pichu.
      I hope to visit these sites some day and experience this firsthand.
      😎👍🏼

    • @cattycorner8
      @cattycorner8 2 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      @@YusufGinnah You will be richly rewarded!

    • @butchmitch731
      @butchmitch731 2 ปีที่แล้ว

      ♥️😎⚘

  • @Jesse.UR77
    @Jesse.UR77 2 ปีที่แล้ว +9

    AA. I just wanted to thank you for taking the time to view and heart everyone's comments and even respond to a lot of them. So awesome of you!

    • @AncientAmericas
      @AncientAmericas  2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      You're welcome! I'm a servant to forgotten history and I'm just doing my part.

  • @HienBuiMobile
    @HienBuiMobile 6 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

    Very insightful information, I watched it to the end. I read some other stuff and you don't seem bias like the others. You had a lot of facts that kept me interested. Thanks you

  • @seiko9361
    @seiko9361 11 หลายเดือนก่อน +9

    One of the main reasons that the Olmec culture grew late compared to other civilizations due to various problems. Unlike other civilization areas, Native americans were new arrivals in mexico and it took them many time to settle well in a very unpredictable enviornment. Pre dynastic egypt, for example, was better and more fertile than modern, however mesoamerican lands, even though being better than other areas, is was still a challenging place to due unpredictable fierce rains, volcanoes, flooding and storms etc. Further domestication also must have played an important role in late development since all other cradle of civilizations (except Peru) domesticated burden carrying, and milk and wool providing animals like bovids, goats, sheeps and horses etc, something they lacked; it must have been a problem in early settlement as limited trade (trade plays an important role in development since an area cannot fullfil all needs). External influence is another problem. Even though major civilizations are independently born, still they were influence as one of the best example is that the Egyptian and Indian written language wasn't indeginous to them, that was rather imported!
    So i think these factors played a great role for the late developement in Olmec civilizations compared to others:
    1. More unpredictable and nasty enviornment than those of other civilizations.
    2. Late arrival in lands.
    3. No good animals to be domesticated.
    4. No external influence.
    If these conditions improved, i believe that they would also rival others in chronology. Anyways, its a more facsinating fact that they and peru, unlike others, grew and developed wholly independently.

    • @charlessmith4009
      @charlessmith4009 10 หลายเดือนก่อน +3

      Wonderful..spoken like a true European Historian..grew independent only influence was with trade..so on and so on..that the people in south America are aboriginal to the lands you speak.

    • @seiko9361
      @seiko9361 10 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

      @@charlessmith4009 Thanks.

  • @JuanLopez-qo7yq
    @JuanLopez-qo7yq 2 ปีที่แล้ว +40

    So from what I can see the Olmecs where like the Sumerians of America. Once they didn’t have to worry about food thanks to farming they applied their minds to writing, art etc. And the civilizations that came after them build upon their work.

    • @AncientAmericas
      @AncientAmericas  2 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      A very good comparison.

    • @davidtyson6869
      @davidtyson6869 2 ปีที่แล้ว

      they never came after they bridge in and destroyed for it is their nature this is why we were told not to Mingle socialize or mixed our blood with other races

    • @nycg801
      @nycg801 2 ปีที่แล้ว +6

      Mexicans of today of been heavily mixed with European Spaniards. The Mexicans living today are a watered down version of ancient Mexicans like the Olmec,Maya,or Aztecs.

    • @teresafernandez9849
      @teresafernandez9849 2 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@nycg801 there are millions of full Native ppl in the Americas. The USA is very misinformed about Native ppl. They are obsessed with the word extinct!! There are full Native Maya ppl all over Mexico and South America!! It's a scientific fact, other than registered full Native ppl, Mexican Americans and México carry more Native DNA than any other group! South America ain't no slouch either! Mexican on both sides of the border marry and have kids, that Native DNA keeps getting stronger and the other weaker. We have started stressing our kids not to mix!! Not to hate, but the importance of keeping it Native!! We r going to stress, not to hate Afros,but to tell them about their culture vultures delusions!! If u bring a fox into the hen house, the hens will disappear!! Let one culture vulture in, they will want the whole tribe!!

    • @AmericanKash
      @AmericanKash 2 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@teresafernandez9849 I thought you guys were hit with the small pox they devastated you guys plus the onslaught by the Spaniards adding the admixture and subjugation of your culture and civilization how are there full bloods still out there ? And why haven’t they revived their culture and civilization??

  • @SyriusStarMultimedia
    @SyriusStarMultimedia 3 ปีที่แล้ว +24

    I like how you asked questions for me that I didn’t know I wanted to ask or have answers to! Great video!

    • @AncientAmericas
      @AncientAmericas  3 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      Thank you!

    • @lorriebrown1243
      @lorriebrown1243 ปีที่แล้ว

      His assertions or am answers were biased. Watch this video that speaks of the Olmecs from an objective perspective based upon thorough research:
      th-cam.com/video/K-FG2oWl-2k/w-d-xo.html

  • @samuelbrucker7189
    @samuelbrucker7189 ปีที่แล้ว

    Your amazing you do such a good job with this very informative you delve into what needs more explanation while also keeping it all yogether and intertaning all at the same time

  • @sicboi
    @sicboi ปีที่แล้ว

    Thank you for your videos, they are greatly appreciated!!! ❤️❤️❤️❤️

  • @billfry6566
    @billfry6566 3 ปีที่แล้ว +40

    This guy does his homework. One of the best, and comprehensive presentation of the Olmec. Thanks!

    • @AncientAmericas
      @AncientAmericas  3 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      You're welcome!

    • @davidtyson6869
      @davidtyson6869 2 ปีที่แล้ว

      this guy is a liar and you are a liar supporter that you can build up false hope and keep all the benefits as a result of your ancestors wickedness and Theory of Everything . it will not change anything my people are awake now and they know what you and your kind have done I can only hope they would not be a revolution a civil war however it seems you people are not going to stop you people won't get back anything you stole and you people rather die and see your offspring lauded and booted into streets before you would share something that is rightfully mine and my kind thank you

  • @brianmccarthy5557
    @brianmccarthy5557 2 ปีที่แล้ว +91

    I used to work with a guy from El Salvador. He looked exactly like those Olmec statue heads. A lot of people noticed this. On a vacation to Mexico who got a tourist souvenir small statue head he kept on his desk. Some naive people thought the thing was sculpted just for him.

    • @perceptionmanagement2116
      @perceptionmanagement2116 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      Great story Brian. Any other lies you'd like to tell?

    • @fernandoarista3302
      @fernandoarista3302 ปีที่แล้ว +28

      You work construction long enough in the US, you're gonna see a bunch of dudes that look like this.

    • @leonlittle7660
      @leonlittle7660 ปีที่แล้ว

      So he must of been Black then?

    • @chrisgarcia5462
      @chrisgarcia5462 ปีที่แล้ว +27

      Plenty of people who look just like the stone head in Mexico. The Toltec people blood line also still exists. They have unusual large heads and can eat Habanero peppers like a kid eating skittles.

    • @patricknorton5788
      @patricknorton5788 ปีที่แล้ว

      Awesome video. Thanks so much.

  • @plumbummanx
    @plumbummanx ปีที่แล้ว +2

    Excellent discussion, I am interested in MesoAmerican history. I'm familiar with the name Toltecs and their sculpted heads but nothing else. Thank you for that information.

  • @paulawells817
    @paulawells817 10 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

    The truth will set everyone free; we don’t need any more deceit. We are all human beings and need to take care of each other and our beautiful planet.

  • @sherrywallis7718
    @sherrywallis7718 ปีที่แล้ว +58

    The city of Houston was loaned an Olmec head. I remember being amazed at it as it stood in front of the Museum of Fine Art. Sometimes, flowers and offerings were left there. Eventually, it was returned. I miss seeing it still.

    • @ddgddg7918
      @ddgddg7918 ปีที่แล้ว

      Wow. When was that? I would have liked to see it.

    • @sherrywallis7718
      @sherrywallis7718 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      @@ddgddg7918 I think it was in the late 1950s or early 60s. They've been gone for a long time.

    • @tesmith47
      @tesmith47 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      I saw that head ! I was shocked that it looked pretty strongly African to me!

    • @mr.motivation3797
      @mr.motivation3797 ปีที่แล้ว +10

      ​@@tesmith47 they would if you dont know many Natives or Mexicans. Black people are not the only ones with large noses and lips and not all black people have larger noses and lips. I know plenty of people in Texas that resemble those statues and they are not African at all. I actually doubt they are African. 2 reasons. Informed, educated Africans were near Egypt. The rest were and in many cases still are exactly as they were then. Simple minded people that build and do very little in the way of innovative or technologically advanced construction. So it's doubtful they are African. Have a good day. 🙌🏼

    • @tesmith47
      @tesmith47 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@mr.motivation3797 you do know the early progenitors of western civilization, Greeks, sent their children to African university's for advanced studies, , greater Zimbabwe is still there, and the library was old ,before there was any European civilization. Get better educated

  • @gameros2012
    @gameros2012 2 ปีที่แล้ว +260

    I like the way you speak about them, it feels like you've very careful not to fall into the eurocentric perception of the Americas, props to you, squad, nice vid.

    • @AncientAmericas
      @AncientAmericas  2 ปีที่แล้ว +13

      Thank you!

    • @kgraham023
      @kgraham023 2 ปีที่แล้ว +18

      Until he started dismissing Van Sertima's theories. Even went so far as to call him uneducated. My bad, he called the scholars who disagreed with him far more intelligent. That's when his eurocentric bias slipped in.
      Not to mention how many European nations ran through the African continent distroying any traces of evidence that could show cocoa use on the continent.

    • @kgraham023
      @kgraham023 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Among other things.

    • @gameros2012
      @gameros2012 2 ปีที่แล้ว +32

      @@kgraham023 Wasn't Van just absolutely delusional and got debunked by several African and american anthropologists? His stuff just sounds like Across the atlantic ice levels of batshit theory tbh.

    • @nelsonpleasant2112
      @nelsonpleasant2112 2 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      @@kgraham023 yes I concur, that attitude is detrimental to the nation, attachments is always paths to darkness.

  • @saulledesmap-n-sanemas
    @saulledesmap-n-sanemas 10 หลายเดือนก่อน +2

    This is dope!! I’ve been passing this video up for a year or two..
    I’ve had it saved in my Watch Later..
    Glad I started it.. 9:15

  • @Llerme
    @Llerme ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Congrats on your first million views! Great video

  • @elcochipit
    @elcochipit ปีที่แล้ว +18

    A friend of mine is exactly like the statue at 27:27, he´s originaly from Tabasco state, all mesoamerican fenotype, not african. That mouth shape is very comon in south México and Guatemala. Olmecs are fascinating. NIce video.

    • @AncientAmericas
      @AncientAmericas  ปีที่แล้ว +3

      Thank you!

    • @katielieson
      @katielieson 2 หลายเดือนก่อน +3

      How would you know if their ancestors didnt come from Africa?

    • @tesmith47
      @tesmith47 หลายเดือนก่อน

      good try, but these features are so obviously AFRICAN, I HAVE NEVER SEEN MESOAMERICAN FOLKS LOOKING LIKE THIS!!

    • @vamoneygroup
      @vamoneygroup 20 วันที่ผ่านมา

      Literally Honduras and Guatemala are known for their African ancestry. Mexicans today still joke about it. Im neutral in this conversation but you just made what seems to be the most ignorant comment.

  • @tonywestbrook9876
    @tonywestbrook9876 3 ปีที่แล้ว +69

    Great video. I live here in Mex. Thank you for the info. Everytime i pass through that part of Mexico. I always want to slow down and discover more. There are regions that look untouched with jungle that looks impassable from a distance. The locals know everything, of course. Timeless

    • @AncientAmericas
      @AncientAmericas  3 ปีที่แล้ว +7

      Wish I could see it myself!

    • @theodoresmith5272
      @theodoresmith5272 2 ปีที่แล้ว +7

      People fail To realize just how diverse and untouched many parts of Mexico are.
      When I stayed in palenque, its in the jungle. 1 minute outside of town and it was pretty natural. It made the ruins there some of my favorite in the world. Lizards, monkey, butterflies, and all kinds of birds. We had monkeys at my jungle camp i stayed in. Very nice people and very safe. Lots of native Americans live there and around there if you want to visit a town. Waterfalls are pretty as all get out. I will say when it rains, it rains.
      Really I love the parts of Mexico ove been. The silver country and highlands are cool. San cristabol was awesome.
      Mexico city was super way more then I thought so I rebooked my flight to get 4 more day on that trip.

    • @sierra5713
      @sierra5713 2 ปีที่แล้ว

      How do you know English if you live in Mexico?

    • @theodoresmith5272
      @theodoresmith5272 2 ปีที่แล้ว +5

      @@sierra5713 people often speak and can write multiple languages. Ive met europeans that can speak 7 languages. Most can speak like 3.

    • @davidtyson6869
      @davidtyson6869 2 ปีที่แล้ว

      it will be very interesting if you do some research on the Olmecs and their sacrifices and taking the bodies into the cave are you aware of the reptilian do you believe in aliens it is more than what meets the eye

  • @jensennevells21
    @jensennevells21 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    this video was super helpful plz keep up the good work!😄😄

  • @DaimonAnimations
    @DaimonAnimations ปีที่แล้ว +22

    What is the most impressive thing is, Meso American cultures did not depend on the Sumerians or Egyptians, they developed on their own (most likely) since they were separated by the Atlantic and Pacific Ocean.
    However it is intriguing that the art style and architecture is very similar to the Egyptians and/or Indonesians.

    • @teddyjackson1902
      @teddyjackson1902 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Most impressive thing is they never invented the wheel.

    • @enrique6001
      @enrique6001 ปีที่แล้ว +21

      @@teddyjackson1902 They knew about the wheel but there was not a real use for it, they geographic place was not wheel friendly and didn't have work animals. The only use they had for the wheel was in toys

    • @teddyjackson1902
      @teddyjackson1902 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      @@enrique6001 nah, they didn’t invent the wheel and to the contrary of your bizarre assertion they had very nice roads.

    • @herbertthepervert9129
      @herbertthepervert9129 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@teddyjackson1902 The Ancient Egyptians didn't have a wheel until the middle kingdom around 1,500 BC when it was introduced by invading peoples from the middle east. The great Pyramids of Egypt were built during the old kingdom around 2,700 BC before the wheel was introduced in Egypt. The ancient Celts, Germanics, and Slavic tribes of Europe had the wheel but they didn't build any architecture that was on the same level as that of the Mayans, Aztecs, and other Meso-American civilizations. The Wheel is an overrated invention pushed by eurocentric white supremacists.

    • @teddyjackson1902
      @teddyjackson1902 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@herbertthepervert9129 lmao, kid the Aztecs didn’t last but a few centuries. The Egyptians and Aztecs had slaving civilizations in geographic regions with optimal climates. There’s nothing white supremacist about the wheel unless you recognize it’s a peak technology and give white people credit for its invention because they’re superior. By the way, the people’s of Egypt, Europe, Asia and the Americas came out of the same migratory branch in southern India. The Egyptians were a group of humans that took a left out of India and the Western Europeans went a little further north before hanging a left. It’s a human story that racists like yourself who seem hung up on nonsense don’t seem to understand. Europeans and the ancient Egyptians/Phoenicians/Canaanites/Persians are from the same genetic stock.
      You ever wonder why you’re mad at history and why you feel the impulse to invent strange and illogical fictional narratives in your head? Is it self loathing?

  • @wiley7563
    @wiley7563 ปีที่แล้ว +7

    Excellently researched, written and produced documentary. Be proud of your work! Signed: Subscribed.

  • @DaLostProfit420
    @DaLostProfit420 2 ปีที่แล้ว +4

    Want to say... you make very informative videos and I enjoy them a lot very well put together and presented thank you for your hard work and time as many will appreciate them in due time

  • @georgeachimbi4692
    @georgeachimbi4692 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    Bravo!! Really well researched and presented. Only thing that continues to bother me is why I can’t find well researched videos like this calling out those that continue to claim that the ancient Egyptian civilization is not African.

  • @ryanroznowski2263
    @ryanroznowski2263 ปีที่แล้ว

    love that not only did they change workd thru farming but thr artwork the fantasy if the were jaguar and the comic book style they carved writing and stories in is amazing.

  • @commodoreallen8970
    @commodoreallen8970 2 ปีที่แล้ว +28

    Correction: the captain of winning team of ball game was killed/sacrificed. Not the losing team’s captain. The losing team captain killed the winning team captain so the winner could ascend to the other side easier than a natural death...so to speak. Learned this while on tour of Chichen Itza recently.

    • @rabioramos1796
      @rabioramos1796 9 หลายเดือนก่อน +2

      No logic behind that thank god Spaniards arrived

    • @os8527
      @os8527 9 หลายเดือนก่อน

      This channel doesn't like being corrected so please watch your step...... Anything that doesn't follow "the narrative" is a conspiracy theory....

    • @dylanroemmele906
      @dylanroemmele906 5 หลายเดือนก่อน

      @@rabioramos1796 The Spaniards believe if you don't follow their god that you will be condemned to eternity in hell, and that anyone with a different God must be killed or converted. Where is the logic in that?

  • @mrniceguy7168
    @mrniceguy7168 3 ปีที่แล้ว +13

    4:59 that is an awesome little sculpture

  • @CandiceMMartinez
    @CandiceMMartinez 6 หลายเดือนก่อน

    Such a great video! I love learning the history of my people ❤

    • @AncientAmericas
      @AncientAmericas  6 หลายเดือนก่อน

      Thank you!

    • @gastonneal724
      @gastonneal724 28 วันที่ผ่านมา

      Your people?, if your picture is you, you are more European than anything. Just an honest observation. I’m African, what this proves is that Americans and Africans have been kicking it for a very long time. And your last name, I have European names too, but if you saw me. I look like those statues. Or the statues looks like me, I would wager, my DNA is older than that head.

  • @renelopez8227
    @renelopez8227 10 หลายเดือนก่อน +2

    I think I might have an actual Olmec relic in my home. My house was originally owned by a mining engineer who worked at mines across Mexico in the 1920's. Tucked away in an old wooden drawer in my closet, wrapped in mid century newspaper; was 6 red beans (or seeds) and a small stone Olmec face that seems like it was chipped off a wall

  • @fireworksfactoryshow
    @fireworksfactoryshow 3 ปีที่แล้ว +5

    Great video! For all of you D&D 5E DM nerds out there I am running The Hidden Shrine of Tamoachan adventure and I would highly recommend using this video as a resource. Without spoiling anything many topics discussed here make an appearance in the game.

    • @AncientAmericas
      @AncientAmericas  3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Thank you!

    • @davidtyson6869
      @davidtyson6869 2 ปีที่แล้ว

      who are you what are you where are you from and why are you here on this Earth Hunter and gatherer

  • @eezyclsmooth9035
    @eezyclsmooth9035 2 ปีที่แล้ว +8

    Olmecs, Mayans , Aztecs , Incas , Toltecs , Nazca Lines ,Machu Picchu , Pyramids .
    Fascinations and Mysteries galore !

  • @jennifermendoza9414
    @jennifermendoza9414 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    I believe you, it's quite fascinating and mind blowing. Thank you for your contribution towards humans.

  • @witchflowers6942
    @witchflowers6942 ปีที่แล้ว

    your channel is such a godsend

  • @jjgdenisrobert
    @jjgdenisrobert 2 ปีที่แล้ว +13

    The fact that new and old world agricultural products remained separate until the arrival of Europeans argues convincingly against any sort of pre-Colombian extended contact.

    • @p4h10oso
      @p4h10oso 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Lookup "cocaine mummies".

    • @gyozakeynsianism
      @gyozakeynsianism 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      True. The same with germs like smallpox.

    • @jjgdenisrobert
      @jjgdenisrobert 2 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      @@p4h10oso lookup “contamination”

    • @PLATINUMARCH
      @PLATINUMARCH 2 ปีที่แล้ว

      Lies. Trade was going on when Europe was stuck in the dark ages relearning longitude and latitude.

    • @gyozakeynsianism
      @gyozakeynsianism 2 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      @@PLATINUMARCH Not lies. History.

  • @lumptydumpty6992
    @lumptydumpty6992 2 ปีที่แล้ว +18

    What gets me on that pyramid thing is how, after having the thought about them being influenced by the Egyptian Pyramids, how could you not think 'Wait thats just a really stable and relatively easy base structure for early peoples to build large monuments?'
    (also where tf does the question mark go there? That hypothetical thought isn't a question, the whole statement about how one wouldn't reason that is.)
    The sad part is i'm college educated.

  • @stevenserna910
    @stevenserna910 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Maize....no, Ma-i'z.
    If wheat is the European staple crop. Maiz (corn) is the New Worlds staple crop. How fortunate for Europeans that wheat, could grow in this hemisphere.
    How fortunate for all of us that we all have corn bread. Delicious. Beans, greens, chicken, chilies, all go great with cornbread. Love it!

    • @AncientAmericas
      @AncientAmericas  ปีที่แล้ว

      Check out the episode I have on maize.

  • @fernicusmaximus9282
    @fernicusmaximus9282 ปีที่แล้ว

    Thank you for this, very informative.

  • @Bshipbuilder
    @Bshipbuilder 2 ปีที่แล้ว +11

    Great content! Have always been most curious about the Olmec.

  • @Sandwiches-bo8xo
    @Sandwiches-bo8xo 2 ปีที่แล้ว +10

    I’ve actually been to chalcatzingo very beautiful. the monuments and scenery there are gorgeous.

  • @Fogaata
    @Fogaata ปีที่แล้ว

    Very much appreciated this video!

  • @robertafierro5592
    @robertafierro5592 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    There's all sorts of Olmec art being displayed in many households in Mexico even today. They are priceless reliques today, and there they sit proudly on a table top! Awesome!

  • @JJGuccione
    @JJGuccione 2 ปีที่แล้ว +5

    Your personal observation on chocolate was spot-on!

  • @caoyuann
    @caoyuann 2 ปีที่แล้ว +5

    I love your channel! I'm obsessed with Mesoamerica and your videos are so interesting!

    • @AncientAmericas
      @AncientAmericas  2 ปีที่แล้ว

      Thank you!

    • @caoyuann
      @caoyuann 2 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@AncientAmericas No problem! I can't wait to see where this channel goes!

  • @philipthornhill2337
    @philipthornhill2337 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Good. Good delivery. And informative.

  • @user-tc4oy6su8x
    @user-tc4oy6su8x 7 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

    As a sculptor olmec is a go to forsure..thank you Very much!

  • @bruzavich5242
    @bruzavich5242 3 ปีที่แล้ว +32

    Started with one video ended up watching all you have to offer. Absolutely wonderful content. Thank you for your work.

  • @jorgesalas4314
    @jorgesalas4314 2 ปีที่แล้ว +93

    The Olmecs didn’t go extinct, they just evolved into new regions and people

    • @JMosUndefeated
      @JMosUndefeated 2 ปีที่แล้ว +7

      Humans evolved into humans?

    • @jorgesalas4314
      @jorgesalas4314 2 ปีที่แล้ว +16

      @@JMosUndefeated how dense are you

    • @macarde10
      @macarde10 2 ปีที่แล้ว +34

      @@JMosUndefeated I believe he’s referring to cultural evolution.

    • @seniorsabali8759
      @seniorsabali8759 2 ปีที่แล้ว +13

      They were kidnapped, killed and the remaining enslaved for generations till they forgot where they come from

    • @macarde10
      @macarde10 2 ปีที่แล้ว +25

      @@seniorsabali8759 hardly so, they mixed into the surrounding populations. Genetic tests show they are the same as other mesoamerican populations.

  • @xxxencryptacion
    @xxxencryptacion 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +2

    Another great video - much appreciate the Olmec pre- amble to the other Mesoamerican cultures ❤

  • @matthewhousham7283
    @matthewhousham7283 10 หลายเดือนก่อน +2

    I remember the animated tv show "The Search for the Mysterious Cities of Gold" that showed them as being sub-human (as in ape-like) highly technologically advanced civilization.

  • @danielcross434
    @danielcross434 3 ปีที่แล้ว +4

    thanks for including sources. And excellent use of maps thanks it really helps

    • @AncientAmericas
      @AncientAmericas  3 ปีที่แล้ว

      You're welcome!

    • @davidtyson6869
      @davidtyson6869 2 ปีที่แล้ว

      anything to make you feel good give me you. Hope 85% of this lies you know it and you know I know it and you know the black people waking up oh uh oh

  • @johannesswillery7855
    @johannesswillery7855 2 หลายเดือนก่อน +4

    Come on man, that could be Jim Brown!

  • @you_beg_my_pardon
    @you_beg_my_pardon ปีที่แล้ว

    I met the olmecs on a DMT vacation.. one of them was my guide. I love doing research on them now!!

  • @ruthnovena40
    @ruthnovena40 2 ปีที่แล้ว +25

    This was most interesting, we may never know what they called themselves. but one can see the influence.Each group adding another layer that became the whole.

    • @trueprofit724
      @trueprofit724 2 ปีที่แล้ว

      I dig that

    • @origineeman6421
      @origineeman6421 2 ปีที่แล้ว

      They were most likely called "The Guardians of Earth" in their ancient language.

    • @iansahleen1173
      @iansahleen1173 2 ปีที่แล้ว

      Reminds me of how we may never know what certain Greek and Chinese civilizations called themselves

    • @lakrids-pibe
      @lakrids-pibe 2 ปีที่แล้ว

      - Hey hey hey. Don't swear. We're werejaguars, not Swear-Jaguars. What are we?
      - Werejaguars, not Swear-Jaguars.

    • @davidtyson6869
      @davidtyson6869 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      excuse me we definitely know what we called our self Gods and we will reclaim our throne

  • @martinavaslovik3433
    @martinavaslovik3433 2 ปีที่แล้ว +6

    A very nicely made and educational video! Thank you very much!

  • @scottperry5918
    @scottperry5918 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    Excellent presentation.😊

  • @brixcosmo6849
    @brixcosmo6849 11 หลายเดือนก่อน

    Great InfoVideo! Best Regards from Portugal! ❤🇵🇹

  • @hackermusic3355
    @hackermusic3355 2 ปีที่แล้ว +13

    The main problem I always had with theories of transatlantic contact is wheels weren't used in the Americas.
    If I were to visit a place where people were dragging things around the first thing I would do is say, Hey bud, let me show you how to make that easier.

    • @hackermusic3355
      @hackermusic3355 2 ปีที่แล้ว +5

      @@jhowblackman There are plenty of uses for the concept of a wheel that have nothing to do with animals. The most obvious is the potter's wheel because that was actually used for a long time before somebody thought of using the concept for moving objects. Another is rollers.

    • @macarde10
      @macarde10 2 ปีที่แล้ว +8

      @@hackermusic3355 technically they did have the wheel, as reflected in toys. However I do like your point.

    • @hackermusic3355
      @hackermusic3355 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      @@macarde10 Yeah, hard to figure why somebody didn't put two and two together with the toys and bigger uses. Then again I feel pretty sure I wouldn't have even figured out that the seasons were a cyclical thing. :)

    • @mfun503
      @mfun503 2 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@hackermusic3355 probably because they didn't need them. They clearly figured out better ways to transport things. They certainly weren't dumb and I'm sure if they would have needed them, they would have made things with wheels.

    • @salaialexander7022
      @salaialexander7022 2 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      The aztecs and mayan had wheeled toys. Investing the wheel and axel independently from the rest of the world. Not only that, but their calendar incorporated cogged wheels..SMH, prior to eastern contact

  • @zombiehunter5923
    @zombiehunter5923 2 ปีที่แล้ว +10

    Thank you we really need to decipher those ancient olmec tablets

    • @davidtyson6869
      @davidtyson6869 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      no we don't have to do anything just sit back and watch the sun do his job they better find a cave or a underground city the government has built many of them they are preparing have you not noticed the stem Trail this being sprayed into the clouds in to be at the sphere trying to block out the Sun no melanin goodbye

    • @katelawyer3689
      @katelawyer3689 2 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@davidtyson6869 what is wrong with you

  • @petenutt
    @petenutt ปีที่แล้ว +1

    This is excellent work.

  • @briannacery9939
    @briannacery9939 3 หลายเดือนก่อน

    I was wondering about the relationship between Olmec and the Maya etc. Thanks for the quick rundown.

  • @ovh992
    @ovh992 ปีที่แล้ว +8

    One theory of the ball game is that it was not the losers who were sacrificed but the winners. It is amazing though how widespread the game was. I saw the ball courts in Monte Alban Oaxaca (Zapotec) and in Chichen Itza Yucatan (Maya)

    • @edgarandre5216
      @edgarandre5216 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      yeah it's totally true cause to they was a honor dying for their gods

    • @RonJacksonToahani
      @RonJacksonToahani ปีที่แล้ว +1

      there is a ball court at Wupatki near Flagstaff AZ