When it comes to Pre-Columbian Mesoamerica, one of the most common topics of discussion is human sacrifice. I can tell you from experience that in the conversations I have had (probably less than five but I’d say that’s too many to be a coincidence) the subject is always a crowd favorite. Often the Aztecs and Maya are referenced, and the generalization is made that most if not all of Pre-Columbian Central America practiced the gruesome ritual. After all it is in human nature to make stereotypes, and the Aztec and Maya cast a long, bloody stereotype. But what of their mother culture? The Olmec had a great influence on both the Aztec and the Maya, surely they also practiced human sacrifice?
Inconclusive Findings
Well to answer the question you came here to find, we don’t actually know if the Olmecs practiced human sacrifice. From all of the information we have been able to gather about the Olmec, nothing has been found that proves the ritual was practiced by the ‘rubber people of the coast’. They left behind no written text or language so everything we know about them is from archeology. I guess we’ll have to dust off our trowels and brushes to see if we can learn more.
Now, the Olmec left behind some amazing artifacts. Their lands are scoured with ballcourts, giant heads, and temples to their beloved but nameless gods. Well actually their gods have numbers rather than names because we don’t know what the Olmec called them. Historians… we can get pretty creative. Anyway, if we were to stick to the script of other Mesoamerican civilizations that practiced human sacrifice, surely we would find evidence of mass graves or carvings on their temples that depict the ritual… right? Well interestingly, that is exactly what we don’t find when we look at the Olmec. Their temples are clean and no large graves have been found depicting human sacrifice. I’d say that’s a clean bill of health wouldn’t you?
Well… there are three potential exceptions.
Potential Exception #1: The Bog of El Manatí
El Manatí is located just south of the Olmec city of San Lorenzo. Discovered in 1987, the site contains some of the oldest artifacts from the Olmec world (around 1200 B.C.E with Carbon-14 dating) and is believed at one point to have been a sacrificial bog. Upon excavation, archeologists found everything from Pok-Ta-Pok balls to wooden statues to *cough cough* infant skeletons at the site. Understandably that last find is important as many say it points to human sacrifice. The problem with this is that we don’t actually know how these infants died which creates a bit of a gray area around the human sacrifice argument.
Potential Exception #2: Altar Number 5
Altar Number 5 (another point for creative names) is an artifact found at the Olmec city of La Venta. This altar depicts a Were-Jaguar baby being cradled by a central figure, potentially a god or a priest. The Were-Jaguar baby appears to be deceased however its true status is uncertain. This is oftentimes pointed out as a symbol for human sacrifice by historians, however I feel like more context would be needed to substantiate this claim. To add more confusion if you look at the sides of the altar there are what appear to be lively Were-Jaguar babies being held by similar figures, so who knows what this altar is really depicting.
Potential Exception #3: The Las Limas Figure
Similar to Altar Number 5, the Las Limas Figure is a piece of Olmec art depicting a potentially deceased Were-Jaguar baby. Historians again point to the Were-Jaguar baby as a sign of human sacrifice. Fun fact about this piece of art: this sculpture was actually stolen from the Xalapa Museum of Anthropology in 1965. Apparently it was too difficult to be sold on the black market so the burglars left it in a motel room in San Antonio, Texas where it was discovered in 1970.
Author’s Conclusion
Even with these three exceptions I still think it is difficult for us to make a concrete case that the Olmec practiced human sacrifice. Sure, they had ancient sacrificial bogs and several Were-Jaguar altars / sculptures, but without the context it is difficult to draw a conclusion. You could say the same thing about the symbol of the fish in Christianity. For some it is a symbol of affiliation with the Christian faith, but to others it may seem like you are just really into the fishing industry. Just like context is key to understanding Christian symbols, it should be key to understanding the Olmec. As we learn more about them we must not forget that.
So what do you think? Do you believe the Olmec practiced human sacrifice? Are there any other aspects of Olmec culture you find fascinating? Leave your thoughts in the comments below!