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Social: Wealth was seen as a form of social status, therefore as a citizen collected more and more gold and other material goods it contributed to their social status. The social system was a patriarchal society.

Political:Much of the political focus of the Chavin was centralized around the need for spreading through military action. The political power was still focused in the elite classes of the priests and lords.

Interactions between humans and the environment: Domestication of llamas took place, the domesticated llamas toiled in the fields as a source of labor. Being a coastal civilization they utilized the sea for fishing and collecting of shells.

Cultural: Seen in both the Olmec and Chavin regions were large heads that possibly resemble gods or leaders that ruled their cultures and civilizations. Religious beliefs focusing on animism are also seen in the Chavin civilization, where temples and shrines were erected as places to worship these gods.

Economic: The trading of the Chavin was predominately seafood that was captured, however it is evident that they traded more than just that with the Olmec’s for example common rituals took place in both societies, indicating that there was a trade of beliefs.

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Social: Primarily split between the elite and the peasants following from highest to lowest; priests, aristocrats, specialized workers such as bakers and smiths, the peasants, then finally slaves.

Political:All power was held by the elites who were usually priests or relatives to the priests, however the Olmec civilization is thought to have been destroyed by civil war.

Interactions between humans and the environment: Mining of salt deposits as well as the use of trees for rubber was very common amongst the Olmec civilizations.

Cultural: Animism was a large part of the cultural beliefs, animism is the worship of animal spirits as gods. Temples were built around the idea of these beliefs and festivals were also held in the name of these animal spirits.

Economic: Trading powerhouses of their time in Mesoamerica as they were known to have extensive amounts of salt deposits, also access to jade and obsidian through trade. The jade was used to create sculptures while the obsidian was made into weapons. One example of their wealth can be seen in the Moche tombs where extensive amounts of gold and valuable gems were also found.

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Why did the Chavin develop irrigation?
-They created their civilizations around rivers that had suitable land for agriculture, but they needed a way to ensure success with all their crops to sustain their civilization.

How did the Olmec civilization come to an end?
-Archeological findings show that between 500 and 300 BCE, social instability began to overtake and provoke upheaval among the people. Historians seem to agree that the decline was due to overly-domesticated land, region slowing, and changes among working people.

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The background is the city of Teotihuacan, one of the most visited ancient cities in Mesoamerica, that was inspired solely on the Olmec civilization's architecture and landscaping.

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The Olmec is similar to the Chavin in their religious beliefs because they both worshipped a human/jaguar-like god and centered their beliefs around felines.

The Chavin is similar to the Inca in their domestication of animals because they both used llamas for trade and a source of food.

The Olmec is different from the Egyptians in their religious beliefs because Egyptians were heavily polytheistic and the Olmec, while praising multiple gods, focused mainly on the same god with the jaguar face.

The Chavin is different from many of the first civilizations in their settling tactics because they moved inland, away from water, to build their economy, instead of towards water like river valley civilizations.

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The Olmec mainly prospered between 1200 BCE and 400 BCE. They were the first major civilization in Mexico, with their main branches of civilization were located along the Mexican coast, thus how they got their name—an Aztec term for those living in certain Mexican areas. They used the fields along the coast of Mexico to build their agricultural surpluses that they used to develop urban areas; mainly focusing on corn, beans, and squash and using slash-and-burn farming (where farmers cut down trees and burned whatever was left). Their main center of civilization was San Lorenzo, then replaced by La Venta in approximately 900 BCE, then once again replaced by Tres Zapotes around 600 BCE. Their main urban areas were composed of large mounds that they created for religious purposes. Their urbanization expanded to wide trading outlets, but their civilization only occupied a small territory due to lack of land-availability. Each center that rose appeared to crash from rebellions among the people. Their people were among a clear social hierarchy, supposedly built around a kingship that rested the power on control and religion. Their religion was very important to them, seemingly a mix of monotheistic and polytheistic worship, mainly focused on a human-like god with the face of a jaguar whom they believed controlled their agricultural success. Basing the kingship on both control and religion, the civilization was ruled by both political leaders and spiritual leaders whom led ceremonies and rituals to please their gods. These rituals consisted of bloodletting and sacrifice of humans, animals, and precious objects. They created impressive architecture, despite their lack of advanced technology, and also contributed to the development of writing and use of astronomy. The Olmec was advanced enough to trade with other Mesoamerican civilizations and eventually would influence all Mesoamerican civilizations to come after them.

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[Olmec] “Appearing around 1600 BCE, the Olmec were among the first Mesoamerican complex societies, and their culture influenced many later civilizations, like the Maya.” (The Olmec).

[Chavin] “Chavin art was the first widespread, recognizable artistic style in the Andes and the temple itself was the most dramatic expression of Chavin style.” (Andean and Chavin civilizations).

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The Chavin mainly prospered during 900 BCE and 250 BCE. Their location was diverse, spreading along the Andes mountain, jungles, and coastal plains.  They were the first major urban civilization to exist in South America. They developed their civilization to have advanced control and influence over their territory by use of military strength and religion. They utilized a clan-based social structure, with gods at the top of their hierarchy. Since they valued religion so highly, religious rulers were thought to be linked to gods and thus put the priests and spiritual figures under the gods. Shamans were believed to also how power with the gods, and they came after the higher religious rulers, then finally laborers, workers, and slaves. While gender bias was not extremely prevalent, women were mainly there to care for children while men worked to provide food. Their agriculture mainly consisted of maize, quinoa, potatoes, and they utilized llamas for trade and transportation of goods. With this agricultural system, they became a center of regional trade. Also, despite their lack of technological advancement, they had irrigation systems for their farming, as well as advanced architecture and monuments. They formed their capital at the intersection of trade routes and moved inland to build up their economy. While on the coast, they fished and collected shells to trade with other tribes including the Olmec. They associated the same jaguar-like-human with power and religion, like the Olmecs. They took ideas from the Egyptians in creating pyramids to honor their gods. They influenced what is now American metallurgy, improved textiles for production, and advanced jewelry techniques.

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Metallurgy: the branch of science/technology that deals with the properties of metals and their production and purification.

Shaman: someone who is believed to be able to communicate with the spiritual world.

Bloodletting: ceremonies where there is a shedding of blood from ears, cheeks, or fingers as praise to their gods.

Asceticism: sacrifice and self-multilation performed in the name of the gods.

Pok-a-tok: The Olmec ritual ball game where rubber balls were hit back and forth across a court.

Contour Rivalry: the aspects of an image can be read in multiple ways, depending on how it is viewed.