The Olmec "Double-Merlon" Motif and the Origins of Color Directional Symbolism in Formative Mesoamerica

Summary

This is an abstract from the "Decipherment, Digs, and Discourse: Honoring Stephen Houston's Contributions to Maya Archaeology" session, at the 84th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

Among the most striking signs of Olmec iconography is the "double-merlon," this being a horizontal form supporting two parallel, upwardly projecting tabs. This presentation examines and discusses where it appears in Olmec imagery during the Middle Formative period (1000-400 b.c.), stressing the importance of context to create an iconographic argument concerning its meaning from one of the most ancient and culturally remote cultures of ancient Mesoamerica. Among the varied bodies of evidence include Middle Formative greenstone carvings, polychrome murals and monumental architecture. In terms of its contextual range, the "double-merlon" is best considered as the Olmec sign for "green." In addition, I note that color directional symbolism was surely present among Formative period cultures, including the Olmec, and directly relates to other major themes, such as directional rain gods and colored forms of maize.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 84th Annual Meeting, Albuquerque, NM (2019)   •
• Decipherment, Digs, and Discourse: Honoring Stephen Houston's Contributions to Maya Archaeology

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 23490