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THE SIGNIFICANCE of the TOAD, Rhinella Marina, in OLMEC ART A

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THE SIGNIFICANCE of the TOAD, Rhinella Marina, in OLMEC ART A THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE TOAD, Rhinella marina, IN OLMEC ART A Thesis submitted to the faculty of San Francisco State University In partial fulfillment of ^ 0 * 2 ^ 0 the requirements for the Degree Master of Arts In Humanities by Mette Fordan San Francisco, California January 2020 Copyright by Mette Fordan 2020 CERTIFICATION OF APPROVAL I certify that I have read The Significance of the Toad Rhinella marina in Olmec art by Mette Foidan, and that in my opinion this work meets the criteria for approving a thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the degree Master of Arts in Humanities at San Francisco State University. Mariana K. Leal Ferreira Ph.D. Professor THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE TOAD, Rhinella marina, IN OLMEC ART Mette Fordan San Francisco, California 2020 The Olmec inhabited Mesoamerica from approximately 1500 B.C. to 100 A.D. The theory behind this study has been that the Toad, Rhinella marina, was a sacred being to the Olmec and that it represented the concept of duality in its ability to live in two worlds, the wet and the dry, in water and on land. The biological characteristics of toads, a dual existence in water and on land, becomes, in mythology, the ability to navigate between the realms of life/death and upper/lower worlds in a mythical cosmos. These characteristics represent transformation, metamorphosis, and regeneration, all-important religious concepts to the Olmec and are present in Olmec art. The toad’s capacity to symbolically traverse the different levels of the cosmos gives the animal its supernatural powers. The hallucinogenic properties of parotid gland secretions played an essential role in the iconography of transformation, metamorphosis, and regeneration in shamanic rituals. These processes are a narrative of the power of a ruler/shaman and his journey into (or, emergence from) the underworld. The toad is the symbol which legitimizes his power and right to undertake such a journey. This study has identified those traits of the toad, both natural and symbolic, that would bring the animal out from obscurity and on to its rightful place in the Olmec pantheon. I certify that the Abstract is a correct representation of the content of this thesis. 'jW'reOC*! 1^/(3 1^0 Chair, Thesis Committee Date PREFACE AND/OR ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to thank Dr. Mariana Ferreira, Ph.D for her interest and guidance throughout all aspects of this study. While serving as my Committee Chair, her continued support and suggestions have been vital to the completion of this thesis. Your friendship and encouragement mean more to me than I can adequately express. I would also like to express my sincere appreciation to Dr. Logan Hennesy, Ph.D. for serving as the committee’s second reader. Additionally, I would like to thank Barry Fordan, my husband, for his suggestions, comments, and editing of my written work. His moral support during some trying moments at SFSU is deeply appreciated. v TABLE OF CONTENTS List of Tables.................................................................................................................... vii List of Figures.................................................................................................................. viii Introduction..........................................................................................................................1 Chapter 1: History of Mexico and Olmec Territories..........................................................5 Chronology of Olmec Civilization.................................................................... 9 The Rise of Olmec Civilization During the Early Formative Period................15 The Middle Formative Period and the Olmec..................................................16 Tres Zapotes and the Olmec During the Late Formative Period.................... 20 Chaper 2: Olmec Art and the Art of the Toad..................................................................22 Chapter 3: Toad, Rhinella marina, Symbolism................................................................ 43 Religious Concepts Relating to the Toad in Olmec Art................................ 45 Symbolic, Mythological and Religious Theories.......................................... 47 Conclusion.........................................................................................................................60 References cited................................................................................................................ 64 LIST OF TABLES Table Page 1. Summary of M esoamerican Chronology.......................................................6 2. Time Periods with Major Olmec Sites and Local Time Phases.................... 11 3. Catalog of Material........................................................................................27 LIST OF FIGURES Figures Page 1. Maize God, San Bartolo, Guatemala................................................................ 13 2. Olmec Maize God, La Venta............................................................................ 14 3. Map of La Venta............................................................................................... 19 4. Figures in La Venta Complex A.......................................................................20 5. Map of Tres Zapotes.........................................................................................21 6. Xochipala Toad Bowl.......................................................................................29 7. Toad Bowl, Paso de Amada.............................................................................30 8. Toad Bolder......................................................................................................31 9. Olmec Shaman..................................................................................................32 10. Takalik Abaj, Izapa and Kaminaljuyu..............................................................33 11. Toad Altar 1......................................................................................................34 12. Toad Altar 2......................................................................................................34 13. Toad Altar 3......................................................................................................34 14. Toad Basin, Kaminaljuyu.................................................................................36 15. Stele 6, Izapa.....................................................................................................37 16. Izapa Ruler Transformation..............................................................................38 17. Toad Yolk.........................................................................................................40 18. ToadHacha.......................................................................................................41 19. Toad Palett with trough.....................................................................................42 20. Toad with Bowl.................................................................................................42 21. Olmec Baby Figurine........................................................................................45 22. Flame Brows.....................................................................................................49 LIST OF FIGURES Figures Page 23. Chalcatzingo Relief...........................................................................................52 24. Chac with Amphibian Tongue..........................................................................52 25. Earth Monster with an Open Mouth..................................................................55 26. La Venta Monument 4.......................................................................................57 27. Toad Ingesting Molted Skin..............................................................................58 1 Introduction The rainforests of Central America and Mexico harbor a ferocious and dangerous predator. A traveler to these regions would likely encounter the animal since it breeds prolifically and at great speed. When threatened, it secretes a dangerous milky substance from a pair of parotid glands on the head that can cause heart attack and death in humans. This predator is the Toad, Rhinella marina. Heavily built with short legs, this species has no web between its toes. Adult animals have a rough, warty skin of tan, dull green, or black color. They can grow up to 9 inches in length and weigh more than two pounds (Ufwildlife, 2011). Like other amphibians, toads depend on bodies of water in which to lay their eggs. They exist equally well on land. Toads are omnivorous and will eat almost anything available, such as insects, other smaller amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals (Ufwildlife, 2011). Throughout Central America, Mesoamerican people created a wealth of highly expressive art around this omnipresent animal. Bufo marinus L. (1758) was the toad species inhabiting the Olmec territory. At some point in time, 2000-2017, taxonomists in biology re-classified the animal as Rhinella marina L. (1758). Such re-classifications exist whenever one species is determined by taxonomists to be misclassified and is identical to another species. The species, Bufo alvarius, is a separate, different species from Rhinella marina and is indigenous to the Sonoran region of Mexico but, does not inhabit the Olmec territories. The study of Mesoamerican art has produced a large corpus of material on the importance
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