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oil but in ancient times exploited for its rubber trees. Ancient "superficial" view of these various statues and carvings. Mesoamericans, spanning from the Olmecs to the Aztecs, Archaeologists are thus confronted with a major problem that extracted latex from Castilla elastica and mixed it with the juice they prefer not to deal with. They claim that the Negroid heads of a local vine, Jpomoea alba, to create rubber as early as 1600 are not African (or Oriental as many appear), but they admit that BC (and possibly earlier). At the much later time of Aztec these giant stone heads and other statues do, indeed, appear to be dominance, "Olmec" was the Aztec name for the people who depictions of Africans. Why would that be the case? How is it lived in this area. that American Indians look like Africans? Other civilisations, The Olmecs are now credited with creating the ball game—as such as the Maya, generally do look like American Indians, as we well as the rubber balls that were used—that played such a would expect. Mainstream archaeologists are forced to invent an significant role in all Mesoamerican civilisations. Indeed, this explanation for this obvious puzzle, no matter how feeble an game may be even older than the Olmecs. Ball courts and the explanation it may be. Olmec—Mayan ball game were popular even as far north as So, even to mainstream historians, the origin of the Olmecs is a Arizona and Utah and as far south as Costa Rica and Panama. mystery. In the realm of alternative history, there are many According to the famous Mexican archaeologist Ignacio Bernal, theories on how the Olmec peoples arrived in Central America, Olmec-type art was first studied as early as 1869 but, as noted apart from walking across the Siberian land bridge in remote above, the term "Olmec" was first used in 1927. Naturally, a prehistory. One theory is that the Negroid population was number of prominent archaeologists—including Eric Thompson, connected with the civilisation of Atlantis; as part of its warrior who helped decipher the Mayan calendar—refused to believe that class, they were tough and hard bitten. Or perhaps they were part this new Olmec culture could be dated as earlier than the Mayan. of an Egyptian colony in Central America, or from some Not until a special meeting in Mexico City in 1942 was the matter | unknown African empire. Others have suggested that some largely settled that the Olmecs pre-dated the Maya, but the date Olmecs came across the Pacific from the lost continent of Mu or for the beginning of the Olmec culture was to remain a matter of | as Shang Chinese mercenaries. Lending credence to these ideas is great debate. the curious portrayal of "magicians" (or shamanic sorcerers) using The discovery of the Olmecs cast doubt on many old magic mushrooms and other psychedelics in many of the Olmec assumptions about the prehistory of statues. Were they magicians from the Americas. Suddenly, here was a Africa, China or even Atlantis? diverse-looking people who built It is not known what name the monumental sculptures with amazing ancient Olmecs used for themselves. skill, were the "inventors" of the . . 7 . Some later Mesoamerican accounts number and writing system as well as Not until a special meeting In seem to refer to the ancient Olmec the ball/ballgame used by the Maya, Mexico City in 1942 was the peoples as "Tamoanchan". The and even knew about the wheel (as evidenced by their wheeled toys). classic period for the Olmecs is matter largely settled that the generally considered to be from 1200 Olmecs pre-dated the Maya. BC, ending around 400 BC. Early, Transoceanic colonisers? formative Olmec artifacts are said to Bernal continued to study the go back to 1500 BC and probably Olmecs and came out with the only earlier. significant work on the subject, The No one really knows where the Olmec World (1969). He discusses Olmecs came from, but the two the curious finds attributed to the Olmecs all over southern Mexico —_ predominant theories are: and Central America and as far south as the site of Guanacaste in 1. They were Native Americans, derived from the same Nicaragua. However, he could not figure out the origin of these Siberian stock as most other Native Americans, and just happened strange and distinctive people whose art featured bearded men, to accentuate the Negroid genetic material latent in their genes. Negroid heads and indecipherable hieroglyphs. Bernal thought 2. They were outsiders who immigrated to the Olman area via that even such famous Mayan sites as Uaxactun and El Mirador boat, most likely as sailors or passengers on transoceanic voyages had been previously occupied by the Olmecs. that went on for probably hundreds of years. Still, orthodox archaeologists such as the well-known British At the centre of the debate about the origin of the Olmecs is the writer and archaeologist Nigel Davies maintain that the Olmecs classic struggle between isolationists (who think that ancient man could not have been the result of any transatlantic or transpacific was incapable of transoceanic voyages, and therefore nearly every contact. Davies essentially says that the Olmecs may have ancient culture developed on its own) and diffusionists (who think originated at Monte Alban in the Oaxaca highlands, at Oxtotitlan that ancient man was able to span the oceans, which explains or Juxtlahuaca near Acapulco on the Pacific coast, or most likely similarities in widely disparate cultures). at Tres Zapotes and La Venta in the swamps along the Gulf of There are a few proponents of diffusionism at the traditional Mexico. All of these areas have known Olmec sites. academic level. Ivan van Sertima of Rutgers University in New The idea that the strange Olmec Negroid heads might have been Jersey actively promotes the diffusionist theory that ancient man the result of early African exploration seems totally alien to the crossed both the Atlantic and the Pacific in prolonged transoceanic historians and archaeologists who have taken over the archaeology —_ contact. His books, including the co-edited African Presence in of the Americas. Despite depictions in Olmec art of various lords, Early Asia (1985) and African Presence in Early America (1987), kings, travellers, magicians and whatnot that look like Africans, are filled with articles and photos that show without a doubt that Chinese, bearded Europeans or some other strangers, most Negroes have lived literally all over the world, including in the professors teaching at our major universities maintain that these are ancient Americas, and developed many advanced civilisations. not evidence of ancient pre-Columbian explorers. They admit, However, he does not bring in such unorthodox theories though, that people might erroneously get this idea from a concerning Atlantis or a lost continent in the Pacific. Not until a special meeting in Mexico City in 1942 was the matter largely settled that the Olmecs pre-dated the Maya. 58 = NEXUS www.nexusmagazine.com DECEMBER 2007 — JANUARY 2008