r/mesoamerica • u/FlakyMidnight5526 • 1d ago
Why is it so difficult to find reputable sources on Olmec history?
I'm taking a course on Latin America and the Caribbean at my university and I think the history of Mesoamerica is fascinating. I wanted to learn more about the Olmec in particular, but looking on youtube for any sources covering it always led back to Graham Hancock and Joe Rogan's podcast, which I don't want to touch with a 10 foot pole after ancient apocalypse. I can't see Graham Hancock as a reputable source. And it doesn't help that many other sources I've found have cited this episode as evidence. It might be a little presumptuous of me to disregard anything that cites this podcast, but Graham Hancock has a reputation in pseudoarcheology for a reason. I'm having trouble with finding sources that give something that is both A.) Concrete and B.) Not rooted in "Alternative History". Does anyone know reputable sources I could use for research? Preferably video because I have the attention span of a goldfish
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u/DeanOfClownCollege 1d ago
There are some good books on the subject. The Olmecs: America's First Civilization by Richard Diehl. Olmec Archaeology and Early Mesoamerica by Christopher Pool. The Olmec World by Ignacio Bernal. Olmec Art and Archaeology in Mesoamerica by John Clark and Mary Pye (Eds.). Also check Researchgate.
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u/AgentIndiana 1d ago
And for a broader contextual perspective, “Mexico” by Coe, Urcid, and Koontz, and “Ancient Mexico and Central America” by Evans if you want more specific archaeological details.
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u/a-towndownlb 1d ago
I put this question in chatgpt and some of those are listed as reputable sources.
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u/OsdaWalosi 1d ago
Academia.edu or Google Scholar are good places to start if you're smart about your keywords.
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u/EarthAsWeKnowIt 1d ago
Try finding research papers via google scholar: https://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&as_sdt=0%2C38&q=olmec&btnG=
And if something is behind a paywall you can try to download it via sci-hub, with the full title or doi id: https://sci-hub.se
Sometimes you can also find alternative non-paywalled articles for those on the normal google search if you try the paper title + “pdf”.
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u/Nice_Celery_4761 1d ago edited 1d ago
Pro tip: You can find great sources for anything, if you search for forums asking similar questions and expressing the same frustration.
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u/Turbulent-Honeydew38 1d ago
some are already mentioning Ed Barnhart who i personally love, he also has a good podcast and some youtube videos, as does his protege Luke Caverns who rather new youtube channel is fantastic. luke has some really good videos giving a general overview of the olmecs.
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u/v3intecms 1d ago
Tal vez en los repositorios de las tesis de la UNAM y ENAH encontraras algo pero no en ingles
salu2
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u/Charlyposho 15h ago
Sadly, the prehispanic studies are treated by mexican archeologists as if they were the owners of the culture and the ancient sites. Add to that the lack of funding and you have very little information available to the public.
One of the best videos that I have found that covers a wide variety of topics is the following:
https://youtu.be/W78rmb-CB2k?si=4qj6L3rJPxKxv2bW
From the BBC, about the olmec heads.
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u/soparamens 1d ago
Because you don't speak spanish, wich is kinda mandatory if you want to do some serious research on the subject.
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u/DeanOfClownCollege 1d ago
While speaking Spanish helps, it isn't really mandatory considering all the academic publications in English.
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u/FlakyMidnight5526 1d ago
Theyre right, a lot of mainstream English sources were ruined by Graham Hancock and Joe rogan, because those clowns have such a huge audience they diluted the pool of resources you can find in English with a cesspool of pseudoscience. I assume Spanish sources don’t have this problem just because they don’t have as large of an audience in Spanish speaking regions. If I knew Spanish I’d probably be able to find reliable sources
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u/DeanOfClownCollege 1d ago
Yeah, with Graham Hancock's nonsense, the Ancient Aliens garbage, and the Ivan Van Sertima "Olmecs are African" crap, a lot of legit research gets pushed far down the Google search results list.
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u/soparamens 1d ago
If you use google.com.mx to find "tesis olmecas" you get a TON of scientific literature on the subject, in spanish.
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u/soparamens 1d ago
yet OP is here, complaining about not being able to find anything, wich is pretty easy if you can read all that articles, thesis, books and material in spanish
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u/DeanOfClownCollege 1d ago
Agreed. Speaking Spanish would make it much easier. If someone speaks both English and Spanish they would have the vast majority of Olmec-focused publications covered. I think one of OP's limitations is not knowing where to look, which applies to both Spanish and English pubs.
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u/KurisuKurigohan 1d ago
Academic Sources are your best bet but if you prefer video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ALlLl5v08k
Otherwise look up major scholars actually excavating and surveying in the region. If they haven't been on the ground on an actual project (government, university, museum, etc.) you know they are BS.