The Olmec tribe idolized jade and its inhabitants were amazing artisans. Although, according to archaeologists, the great variety of found carved jades, produced the idea that the Olmecs not extracted ore of a single deposit. One of the most extraordinary parts, worked for them, dating back to the year 3,800 BC and was found in one of their first ceremonial centers.
This strange community arises between the years 1500 b.c., on the shores of the Gulf of Mexico. It is said that it was the first. For them, the jade stone was a symbol of a great spiritual value and mystic, by what was used in the preparation of all types of objects: masks, axs and small statues. The rock represented the eternal life, and was the gateway for communication with the world of souls.
The Olmec civilization reflects some interesting features in the approach to their traditions and practices with the Chinese culture; interesting detail due to the distance between the two peoples. This society performed identical acts to the implemented in the Chinese tradition. In the spiritual and religious aspects, both placed in the bodies of the dead sculptures, dental plates and masks made with jade, thus highlighting the connection with the universe and its power, in this way they ensured that the soul arrived in peace to its destination. Another curious aspect was the fact that the two cultures consumed dust of jade, to achieve eternal life.
The Olmecs worked with great perfection and detail the jade; was the community with the largest amount of pieces carved. The nearest site for the extraction of the stone, was in the Motagua river, in Guatemala, although the material was scarce in that site. This, in conjunction with the possible relationship with the communities of ancient China, this suggests to the experts that at some time both civilizations made contact, especially with the tribes of Burma.
Another of the strange anecdotes that surrounds the Olmecs is about the discovery of the tombs located in La Venta, in Mexico. In the place found a sculpture that left silent to the scientific community.
The fascinating piece was composed of fifteen figures of apparent little men; however, their appearance showed different features to that of the human. Their heads were elongated and without hair and do not show reproductive system. Their eyes seemed slanted and crooked; in the same piece had six stone monuments with inscriptions that, to date, can not been able to decipher.
Most of the jade pieces worked by the Olmec, are in museums located in different countries; two of these are in Guatemala and Mexico. The steps in this society were decisive to guide the societies that emerged subsequent to this.
ALFA