Heads or Tales - The Olmec Colossal Heads

Welcome: Heads or Tales - The Olmec Colossal Heads
Description: When you see this sculpture, what is the first thing that comes to mind? Does it look like anyone you know or have seen? If someone were to ask you where you think the person represented came from, what would you guess? Kong Qiu (anglicized to Confucius) wrote: "Real knowledge is to know the extent of one's ignorance." On critical analysis, advanced knowledge was lost at a certain point. Yet, throughout history, what was considered a fact in a particular era eventually surrendered to the acquisition of new evidence. For example, today, Copernicus' heliocentric theory is illogical. In the last century, astronomy, medicine, aeronautics, and anthropology have undergone exponential evolution. One can only speculate on what discoveries, revolutions, and enlightenment the future may offer. The Olmecs, and the famous Olmec “colossal heads,” are prime examples of official history's agenda. Without debate, mystery shrouds this culture and its artifacts. The Olmecs are not alone. The same could be said of the people of Kmt (so-called Egyptians), Sumerians, Kush, Babylonians, Assyrians, Phoenicians, and other ancient cultures. In turn, the question is asked: Do the Olmec heads represent Motherland (so-called African) influence, ancestry, or origin? Scholars, archaeologists, and anthropologists argue the colossal heads' Motherland influence is coincidental at best. Yet, there is a plethora of evidence of its presence in the Western Hemisphere before the European arrival. The Olmec colossal heads present an interesting dilemma. You are about to embark on a quest to discovering truths! On your marks, get set, go!
Grade Level: 6-8
Curriculum: Social Studies
Keywords: Olmecs, Colossal Heads, Mexico, Mesoamerica, formative/Pre-classic Mesoamerica, San Lorenzo, La Venta, Veracruz, Tabasco, Tres Zapotes, La Cobata, Tlatilco, Cerro de las Mesas, Olmecatl, rubber people, rubber country, stone monuments, excavations, gulfs, formative period, archaeological sites, basalt, archaeological excavation, architecture, material culture
Author(s): James L. Richard