Farmers And Society!!

The Olmec's lands were prone to flooding. So Olmec farmers built their houses on artificial hills. However the floods did deposit silt and mud, which made the land fertile. So Olmec farmers were able to grow two crops a year. Olmec farmers grew maize, beans, chilies, tomatoes and squashes. They kept dogs and chickens for meat. As well at that the Olmecs hunted deer and peccaries (wild pigs). The Olmecs also fished and they collected shellfish. The Olmecs also hunted turtles and alligators.Olmec society was stratified. At the top were ruler-priests. Then came craftsmen, merchants and farmers. Little is known about the Olmec religion but they were certainly polytheists (they worshiped many gods). The Olmecs worshiped a jaguar god and a god of maize (their staple food).Olmec merchants traded with many other cultures. They lived in jungles, which had abundant plant and animal life. However they lacked mineral resources. Obsidian, chert and jade had to be brought from far away. In return for them the Olmecs traded jaguar skins and feathers. Olmec ideas and practices spread to other parts of Central America through trade.