Around 400 to 900 B.C.E, the Olmecs of Mesoamerica and the Chavins of Peru existed. Like other ancient civilizations, these groups of people developed their own form of society and flourished by adapting to their surroundings. The Olmec and Chavin civilizations were located in similar regions of the world, making it inevitable to have parallels in their culture, environmental systems, and social hierarchy. Despite this, both groups of people had unique approaches to find sources of food and established ideals of gender role that also allowed them to have many differences. Many of the religious and technological advances of these societies were closely aligned. Priests, called shamans in both cultures, were highly regarded and sometimes were …show more content…
Both societies were near large bodies of water, encouraging the use of a flood system and the development of trade. Nearby rivers and rain made the soil extremely fertile, however, the Olmecs and Chavins experienced constant flooding. As a result, the Chavins constructed a floodgate in the canals, while the Olmecs built levees that hampered floods. Furthermore, they could interact with other civilizations much easier with the invention of boats and rafts, which were good for transporting goods and for traveling. Evidently, both societies farmed and harvested many crops; the staple being maize. When it came to animal protein however, the Olmec mainly relied on domesticated dog while the Chavins ate llamas, as this was what was available in both of their individual regions. Furthermore, each civilization valued a different kind of resource. For example, the Olmecs had an abundance of jade, which in turn was used widely for statues, pottery, figurines and more. On the other hand, the Chavin people cherished gold and offered it to the Gods and crafted many of their metalwork with it. As a result, both civilizations prospered by specializing differently in their natural resources …show more content…
Social hierarchy is ineluctable in civilization, as the Olmec elites were ranked based on their ties to a single ancestor. Upper class Olmecs also comprised of people who had good farming lands and people who were related to priests. In contrast, most of the Chavin hierarchy was based on wealth. Besides rulers and priests, wealthy traders were part of upper class. This left farmers, laborers and commoners to compose the lower classes, as they usually lived in the outskirts of cities. Similarly to the Olmecs however, Chavin people with kinship ties to rulers could also be considered “wealthy” and ultimately be put in higher classes. Additionally, gender roles and expectations were different in each society. Chavin women were expected to be domestic, as they would mainly take care of children. Olmec women also performed domestic duties, however historians have found that there are statues of women, indicating that some were even rulers. Furthermore, Olmec women also engaged in specialization and physical labor. Therefore, there is a clear difference between the expectations in women in these societies, as well as a different way of organizing the social status of