Diamonds in the Rough: Olmec and Olmec-Related Occurrences of the Rhombus Motif and Its Variations

Summary

This is an abstract from the "The Precolumbian Dotted-Diamond-Grid Pattern: References and Techniques" session, at the 86th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

As ancient cultures throughout the world developed textiles, knotted and woven fabrics lent themselves to the development of geometric rhombus patterns, first as the diamond-shaped mesh of knotted nets and later as square patterns in twined gauze and plain-weave cloth. Further early experimentation in basketry and cloth twill weaves led to the development of diagonal lines, zigzags, chevrons, triangles, diamonds, and diamond-and-dot motifs. Scholarly research has identified and discussed these textile motifs throughout the ancient Americas, further revealing how these patterns were recognized and meaningful, with links to gender, affiliation, and status. Little research, however, has been conducted on rhombus textile motifs in Formative period Mesoamerican cultures such as the Olmec. This is in great part because direct evidence of Olmec textiles is scanty, consisting of only a few fragments of cordage and woven mats, two fabric-impressed clay sherds, and artifacts recently identified as tools for manufacturing textiles. Close analysis of this existing evidence, along with the identification of these textile motifs in Olmec ceramics, sculpture, and architecture, reveals that rhombus and related patterns are strongly in evidence in the Formative period, and that as with later Mesoamerican cultures, these motifs likewise held deep, symbolic meaning for the Olmec.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 86th Annual Meeting, Online (2021)   •
• The Precolumbian Dotted-Diamond-Grid Pattern: References and Techniques

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 30939