Sizokutshela ngokutholwa kwamakhanda amakhulu e-Olmec nguMathewu W. Stirling ogwini lweGulf of Mexico, phakathi kuka-1938 no-1946.
EKUFUNENI INHLOKO YAKWA-OLMEC
Kusukela ukuhlangana kwakhe nomfanekiso we imaskhi enkulu ye-jade - Okuthiwa kwakumele "ingane ekhalayo" - UMatthew W. Stirling wayephila ephupha ngokubona i- ikhanda elikhulu, eqoshwe ngesitayela esifanayo nesifihla-buso, okuyi UJosé María Melgar wathola ngo-1862.
Manje wayesezofezekisa iphupho lakhe. Ngosuku lwangaphambilini, wayefike edolobheni elihle laseTlacotalpan, lapho uMfula iSan Juan uhlangana khona nePapaloapan, ogwini oluseningizimu yeVeracruz, futhi wakwazi ukuqasha umqondisi, waqasha amahhashi, futhi wathenga izimpahla. Ngakho-ke, njengoDon Quixote wanamuhla, wayekulungele ukuya eSantiago Tuxtla, eyofuna i-adventure ebaluleke kakhulu empilweni yakhe. Kwakuwusuku lokugcina lukaJanuwari 1938.
Elwa nokozela okubangelwa ukushisa okwenyukayo kanye nesigqi sehhashi lakhe, uStirling wacabanga ngeqiniso lokuthi Ikhanda likaMelgar alizange lihambisane nanoma yiziphi izitayela ezimele zomhlaba wangaphambi kweColombiaNgakolunye uhlangothi, wayengakholelwa kakhulu ukuthi ikhanda nezembe lokuvota, nakho okuvela eVeracruz, okushicilelwe ngu-Alfredo Chavero, kwakumele abantu abamnyama. Umngani wakhe UMarshall saville, waseAmerican Museum of Natural History eNew York, kwamqinisekisa ukuthi izimbazo zifana nezikaChavero babemele unkulunkulu wama-Aztec uTezcatlipoca ngesimo sakhe se-jaguar, kodwa Bengingacabangi ukuthi aqoshwe ama-Aztec, kodwa yiqembu elisogwini elaziwa ngokuthi ama-Olmec, okungukuthi, "Izakhamizi zomhlaba zenjoloba". Kuyena, ukutholakala kwe- Ingwe yeNecaxa nguGeorge Vaillant ngo-1932, kwaqinisekisa ukuhunyushwa kukaSaville.
Ngosuku olulandelayo, phambi kwenhloko enkulu yase-Olmec yaseHueyapan, uStirling wakhohlwa imiphumela yokuhamba ngamahhashi amahora ayishumi, yokungasetshenziselwa ukulala ezinqoleni, yemisindo yehlathi: yize engcwatshwe ingxenye, ikhanda le-Olmec lalihlaba umxhwele kakhulu kunezithombe nemidwebo, futhi akakwazanga ukufihla ukumangala kwakhe lapho ebona ukuthi isithombe esibaziweyo sasiphakathi kwendawo yokuvubukula enezindunduma zomhlaba, esinye sazo cishe amamitha ayi-150 ubude. Emuva eWashington, izithombe azithola enhloko ye-Olmec nezinye izikhumbuzo nezindunduma zazilusizo kakhulu ekutholeni uxhaso lwezezimali ukumbiwa kukaTres Zapotes, okuyinto uStirling ayiqale ngoJanuwari wonyaka olandelayo. Kwakungesikhathi sesibili eTres Zapotes lapho uStirling akwazi ukuvakashela ikhanda elikhulu kakhulu elatholwa nguFrans Blom no-Oliver Lafarge ngo-1926. UStirling, kanye nonkosikazi wakhe, kanye nomvubukuli uPhilip Druker nomthwebuli wezithombe uRichard Steward, baqhubekela empumalanga elolini labo. endleleni ebingahamba kuphela ngenkathi eyomile. Ngemuva kokuwela amabhuloho amathathu asabekayo, bafika eTonalá, lapho baqhubeka khona ngesikebhe baya ngasemlanjeni woMfula iBlasillo, futhi ukusuka lapho, ngezinyawo baya eLa Venta. Bewela indawo enamanzi phakathi kwesiza nomlomo womfula bahlangana nethimba lezazi zokwakheka komhlaba ezazifuna uwoyela, ezaziholela eLa Venta.
Ngakusasa bathola umklomelo wobunzima bomgwaqo: amatshe amakhulu aqoshwe aphuma phansi, futhi phakathi kwabo kwakukhona ikhanda lambulwe nguBlom noLafarge eminyakeni eyishumi nanhlanu edlule. Injabulo yaphakamisa umoya futhi ngokushesha benza izinhlelo zokumba. Ngaphambi kwenkathi yemvula yango-1940 kwaqala umkhankaso we Ukuthambisa iLa Venta etholakala futhi kumbiwa izikhumbuzo eziningana, kufaka phakathi amakhanda amane amakhulu ka-Olmec, konke kufana nokwakwaMelgar, ngaphandle kwesitayela sesigqoko sokuzivikela kanye nohlobo lwama-earmuffs. Kutholakala endaweni lapho itshe lingatholakali ngokwemvelo, lawa makhanda e-Olmec ayemangalisa ngosayizi wawo –Kukhulu kunawo onke kumamitha angu-2.41 kanti okuncane kunakho konke kungamamitha angu-1.47– nangenxa yeqiniso lawo elingavamile. UStirling uphethe ngokuthi yimifanekiso ka Ababusi be-Olmec futhi ngenkathi ethola lezi zikhumbuzo ezinesisindo samathani amaningana, umbuzo wemvelaphi nokudluliswa kwawo wacindezela kakhulu.
Ngenxa yokungena kweMelika eMpini Yesibili Yomhlaba amaStirlings Abakwazanga ukubuyela eLa Venta kuze kube ngo-1942, futhi inhlanhla yaphinda yabasiza, ngoba ngo-Ephreli walowo nyaka ukutholwa okumangazayo kwenzeke eLa Venta: a i-sarcophagus ene-jaguar ebaziwe kanye nethuna elinamakholomu e-basalt, yomibili ngeminikelo emihle ye-jade. Ezinsukwini ezimbili ngemuva kwalokhu okutholakele okubalulekile, uStirling wasuka waya eTuxtla Gutiérrez, eChiapas, ukuyothamela itafula eliyindilinga le-anthropology kumaMaya nama-Olmec okwakuhlobene kakhulu nokutholakele kwakhe.
Waphinda futhi ephelezelwa ngumkakhe noPhilip Drucker, intwasahlobo yango-1946 yathola uStirling eqondisa ukumbiwa kwamadolobha aseSan Lorenzo, eTenochtitlán nasePotrero Nuevo, osebeni loMfula iChiquito, umfudlana weCoatzacoalcos oncomekayo. Lapho kutholwe izithombe eziyishumi nanhlanu ezinkulu ze-basalt, konke ngesitayela se-Olmec esimsulwa, kufaka phakathi amakhanda amahlanu amakhulu futhi amahle kakhulu e-Olmec. Okuhlaba umxhwele kunakho konke, okwaziwa nge- "El Rey", kukalwe ngamamitha ayi-2.85. Ngalokhu okutholakele UStirling uphethe iminyaka eyisishiyagalombili yomsebenzi onzima ku-Olmec archaeology. Okuqale ngentokozo yensizwa ngesifihla-buso esincane esingaqondakali esiqoshwe ngesitayela esingaziwa, kwaphela ngo ukutholakala kwempucuko ehluke ngokuphelele okwakuthi, ngokusho kukaDkt Alfonso Caso, kube "Isiko lomama" lakho konke okwenzeka kamuva eMesoamerican.
IMIBUZO MAYELANA NEZINHLOKO ZE-OLMEC
Imibuzo eyaphakanyiswa nguStirling mayelana nemvelaphi nokuthuthwa kwamatshe e-monolithic kwaba yindaba yezifundo zesayensi kaPhilip Drucker noRobert Heizer ngo-1955. bekwenzeka ukunquma ukuthi itshe livela ezintabeni zakwaTuxtlas, ngaphezu kwamakhilomitha ayikhulu entshonalanga yeLa Venta. Kuyamukelwa ngokujwayelekile ukuthi amabhlogo amakhulu we-basalt yentaba-mlilo, anesisindo samathani amaningana, ahudulwa umhlaba amakhilomitha angaphezu kwama-40, abese ebekwa ngezihlenga futhi athwalwa yimifudlana yoMfula iCoatzacoalcos aye emlonyeni wayo; bese kugudla ugu kuya eMfuleni iTonalá, futhi ekugcineni kugudle uMfula iBlasillo kuya eLa Venta ngesikhathi semvula. Lapho ibhulokhi lamatshe elisikwe cishe cishe selikhona, lalikhona kuqoshwe ngokwendlela oyifunayo, njengomuntu omkhulu wabantu abahleli phansi, njenge "altare", noma njengenhloko enkulu. Njengoba kunikezwe izinkinga zobunjiniyela nezokusebenza ezibandakanya ukusika nokuhambisa ama-monoliths anjalo - ikhanda eliqediwe lalinesisindo esingamathani ayi-18 ngokwesilinganiso - izazi eziningi seziphethe ngokuthi umsebenzi onjalo ungaphumelela kuphela ngoba ababusi abanamandla babephethe abantu abaningi. Ukulandela lokhu kucabanga kwezepolitiki, ososayensi abaningi bakwemukela ukutolika kukaStirling ukuthi amakhanda amakhulu ka-Olmec kwakuyizithombe zababusi, aze asikisela nokuthi imiklamo yezigqoko zabo yayiwabiza ngamagama. Ukuchaza izicholo ezimise okwenkomishi, ama-grooves, nezimbobo ezingunxande eziqoshwe emakhanda amaningi, kuye kwacatshangwa ukuthi ngemuva kokushona kombusi isithombe sakhe sacekelwa phansi, noma ukuthi "wabulawa ngokwamasiko" umlandeli.
Bangu imibuzo eminingi ezungeze lezi zincazelo, kufaka phakathi i-Stirling's. Kumphakathi obuntula ukubhala, ukucabanga ukuthi igama lombusi libhaliswe ngokwakhiwa kwesigqoko sokuzivikela kunganaki ukuthi eziningi zalezi zilula ngokuphelele noma zibonisa izibalo zejometri ezingaziwa. Ngokuphathelene nezimpawu zokucwiywa noma ukubhujiswa ngamabomu, mabili kuphela amakhanda ayishumi nesithupha ahlulekile ukuzama ukuwaguqula abe yizikhumbuzo ezibizwa ngokuthi "ama-altare". Izimbobo, izinkomishi ezimise okwenkomishi kanye nezingqinamba ezibonakala emakhanda nazo zikhona "kuma-altare", kanti lezi zindebe ezimbili zokugcina - izinkomishi nama-striae - zivela ematsheni endlu engcwele yase-Olmec e-El Manatí, eningizimu-mpumalanga ye ISan Lorenzo, iVeracruz.
Ngokusho izifundo zakamuva zobuciko nokumelelwa kuka-Olmec, amakhanda amakhulu ka-Olmec ayengeyona imifanekiso yababusi, kodwa abantu abasha nasebekhulile, ababizwa ngobuso bomntwana ngososayensi, owayethintekile yi ukukhubazeka okuzelwe okuyinto namuhla eyaziwa njenge-Down Syndrome nezinye ezihlobene nayo. Mhlawumbe kucatshangelwe ingcwele ngama-Olmec, laba bantu ababhekene nobuso babekhulekelwa emikhosini emikhulu yenkolo. Ngakho-ke, amamaki abonakalayo ezithombeni zakho akufanele athathwe njengezenzo zokucwiywa nokucekelwa phansi kwempahla, kodwa kunalokho ubufakazi bokuthi kungenzeka yini ukuthi kwenziwa isiko elithile, njengokumithisa izikhali namathuluzi ngamandla, ukuwagcoba kaningi esikhunjeni esingcwele, noma ukubhola noma ukugaya itshe lokushiya imifantu noma ukuqoqa "uthuli olungcwele", oluzosetshenziswa emisebenzini yesiko. Njengoba kungabonakala empikiswaneni engapheli, lawa makhanda amakhulu futhi angaqondakali we-Olmec, ihlukile emlandweni wemiphakathi yangaphambi kweColombia, qhubeka umangaze futhi uqhathe isintu.
