LOS OLMECAS

La cultura olmeca, considerada la Cultura Madre de los pueblos mesoamericanos, floreció entre los años 1200 y 100 a. de C. en los actuales estados de Veracruz y Tabasco. Su centro ceremonial más importante fue La Venta. El origen de los olmecas es un misterio. Sus esculturas, con ojos oblicuos, nariz ancha y labios gruesos, muestran una mezcla de rasgos asiáticos y negroides.

Eran agricultores. Tenían conocimientos de astronomía y del ciclo de las estaciones.   Idearon un sistema numérico vigesimal y descubrieron el concepto del cero. Fueron los primeros en el continente americano que fabricaron papel de madera.

Aunque la palabra olmeca significa “habitante del país del hule”, el grupo de la cultura de La Venta se conoce como “los de la boca de tigre”. Para ellos el jaguar era el símbolo de la naturaleza y de los poderes sobrenaturales. El arte olmeca es inconfundible por sus esculturas de dioses, hombres y niños con boca de jaguar. Las piezas más características son:  el Señor de Las Limas, el Luchador y el Escriba, pero principalmente las cabezas colosales de reyes o sacerdotes. Algunas tienen hasta 3 metros de altura y pesan en promedio 10 toneladas.

THE OLMECAS

The Olmeca culture, was considered the Mother Culture among the Mesoamerican people. It thrived between the years 1200 100 B.C. in today's states of Veracruz and Tabasco. Their most important religious center was La Venta. The origin of the Olmecas is a mystery. Their sculptures, with oblique eyes, broad noses and thick lips show a mixture of Asian and African beginnings.

They were agricultural. They had knowledge of astronomy and the cycle of seasons. They designed a numerical system based on twenty and discovered the concept of zero. They were also the first in the American continent that manufactured paper out of wood.

Even though the word Olmeca means “inhabitant of the rubber-tree country,” the people of La Venta are known as “the ones with tiger mouth.” To them the jaguar was the symbol of nature and supernatural powers. Olmeca art is unmistakable because of its sculptures of gods, men and children with jaguar mouth. The most characteristic pieces are: the Lord of The Limes, the Wrestler, and the Scribe, most renowned are the colossal heads of kings or priests. Some of them are up to 3 meters high and weigh an average of 10 tons each.

 

Origin of Word Gringo

There are a few negative words for Anglo-Americans in the Spanish Language. Two of these words that are repeatable come to mind instantly: Gavacho and Gringo . Gavacho means someone who comes from  the French Basque country, and they were seen as "other,"  by the Spaniards, when displaced, they arrived in Spain from France in the middle ages. So, as the language evolved, and  the Spaniards  wished to speak despairingly of  a foreigner , they might call him a Gavacho . When the indigenous of Mexico were learning Spanish, and heard the word, they incorporated it into the language too, and the true etymology of a word which refers to a person of French heritage from the Basque region has had little import in the last thousand years, and it is now commonly used to refer to any and all Anglo-Americans.

The term Gringo has assimilated itself into the language much deeper than has Gavacho . Gringo  can be a quite friendly appellation, and has in most instances lost its sting as a derogatory term unless spat out in anger. Most Gringos have co-opted the word, and once that happens, and we refer to ourselves as "Gringos" or "Gringas" it is hard for others to use it toward us derogatorily. The Merriam-Webster's Book of Word Histories gives us three theories of the derivation of the word Gringo. See which one sounds true to you.

1. During the Mexican War from 1846­48, a favorite song of the American soldiers was a song by Robert Burns: "Green Grow the Rashes, O!" From this song the word Gringo derived.

2. The American soldiers wore green and the Mexicans picked up on "Green go home!"

Well, if you picked one of the above, you won't get a prize. The much earlier use of the word Gringo, in Spain, disproves these first two theories.

According to The Merriam-Webster's Book of Word Histories, The word Gringo came from the Medieval Latin proverb, "Graecum est; non potesi leg," or, "It is Greek and cannot be read," which is the ancestor of the popular "Its Greek to me."

In Spanish, hablar en griego means to speak unintelligibly. Griego , slightly altered, became Gringo.  According to the Diccionario Castellano of P. Esteban de Terreros y Pando, published in 1787, Gringos are extranjeros (foreigners)  that cannot pronounce Spanish well. The first English record of the word Gringo is an entry in the diary of artist John James Audubon's son, J.W. Audubon's Western Journal for 1849. In it, he complains: "We were hooted and shouted at as we passed through, and called Gringos."

So, here we have it. Gringos are people who pronounce and use Spanish so badly that they can't be understood. Thus, Gringoisms!  

Do you know how many Gringos have announced they were pregnant, when they were trying to say they were embarrassed? See next Thursday's Gringoisms in the free learning section to avoid embarrassing yourself.