Olmec culture
GuatemalaCelt, 900 - 300 BCE
Not on view
Stone/jade
Dimensions3 × 1 × 14 in. (7.6 × 2.5 × 35.6 cm)
Gift of Robert Drapkin, 2009.111
The Olmec are generally considered to be the ancestor of all subsequent Mesoamerican civilizations including the Maya and Aztec. Thriving between about 1200 and 400 BCE, their base was the tropical lowlands of south central Mexico. Olmec style became synonymous with elite status in other (predominantly highland) groups. They are known for their monumental stone heads weighing up to forty tons and smaller jade figures and celts. The celts are believed to be domestically or institutionally based totems or divinities. Some pieces are highly stylized, while others, like those seen here, demonstrate striking naturalism. Celts like these might have been used in important ritual ceremonies. In Olmec society, celts were associated with ears of corn — the V-shape being reminiscent of the husk from which the cob emerged. Fine jade celts like these may have been passed down from one generation to the next.
