Chapter 2
Part II
Here is another view of the baby dragon stone. It further illustrates that these stones were carefully crafted, expertly made, and meant to be viewed from various perspectives. On this side the artist painted the eye so that it wouldn’t be missed but, in case you did the photo on the right provides a close-up view. As u can see, a distinct diamond shape has been delicately painted on. There is no mistaking it. There is no way the diamond 🔹 shape could be naturally occurring. It was done so subtlety that to untrained eyes it could easily be overlooked. This stone may look as if it is severely damaged but, it’s not. It’s about ninety-seven percent intact. Do you remember what bright white color represented amongst the Aha? The primary symbol on this stone goes hand in hand with the color symbology.
If the Pac-Man shaped stone represents a baby dragon 🐲, this first stone no doubt represents an adolescent. As it faces right 👉 you can see a rounded eye just below the triangle 🔺 shaped brow. It’s nose, angular and short, connects to the base of the brow and when viewed together help to form a completed arrow ➡ shape. Below the nose is a slightly grinning mouth that extends back 🔙 to a rounded cheek. This adolescent dragon is not the only thing depicted on this stone. As with all dragon 🐲 stones the dragon master (expert handler might be a better term) is right behind. Did you miss the face? No worries. It is highlighted below.
All dragon 🐲 stones have one thing in common. There is always a face, usually to the rear of the stone, that represents their handler. As with other stones, faces often share characteristics. In this example both dragon and dragon master (facing left 👈) share the same head and cheek. The dragon’s right brow is the dragon master’s left brow. The dragon’s head and nose doubles as the dragon master’s head and hair. I have highlighted the dragon master’s eye 👁 and hair in the photo. Simply fascinating!
According to some experts, the Olmec did in fact believe in dragons but, there is a caveat. For example, Peter D. Joralemon (noted expert on the Olmec) stated, “…the Olmec, in their belief system, created …creatures that are biologically impossible”, things that “exist in the mind of man, not in the world of nature” (Joralemon, 1976, p. 33). Or simply put, they believed in imagery creatures. The Olmec dragon for example was a chimera composed of a crocodilian with eagle, jaguar, human, and serpent attributes. I haven’t read Joralemon’s work beyond a very brief synopsis on Olmec beliefs. He could well be correct as it relates to the Olmec and their concept of a dragon. Maybe the Olmec’s dragons were a construct based on iconography they developed. Or, maybe it was adopted from elsewhere. It could be that the Olmec’s dragon was based on a much earlier design. A design created by the Aha people. Either way, my focus and research has been on the Aha not the Olmec. As such I defer the explanation of Olmec beliefs to those that have studied them. I do find it interesting however that many of the dragon stones collected have similar iconography incorporated in them. I also find it interesting that not only amongst the Aha but, in all civilizations where legends of dragons exist, the dragons all look similar. That’s one heck of a worldwide coincidence 🤣. Either that or dragons were real. Ijs. 🤭
This piece also depicts an adolescent dragon (facing right 👉) but, perhaps a different species. Whereas the first stone is reddish-brown in color, this piece has an overall greyish-white tone. The nose and mouth are near identical in styling, especially with the slight smile. A big difference however is that this stone is painted. The black that adorns the surface of the stone was used for two reasons. The first was to help create the dragons 🐲 facial characteristics. Unfortunately, this piece is slightly eroded at what would be the centerpoint of the eye. Fortunately, the painted black band that would have encircled the eye is intact. It conveys its own meaning. Secondly, the Aha people typically used the color black to represent smoke. In this case, within the presumed smoke pattern, symbols were placed to help the viewer understand the stone’s overall meaning. I’ve highlighted the photo on the right to help you view the integrated symbols better. We’re not at the full explanation of language phase yet but, trust me, it’s coming. 🤗 😉
There are several stones I could show you that depict an adult dragon but this one is too exquisite not to be shown. While it may not readily appear to be a dragon stone, keep in mind that I said there were perhaps different species. How can I be sure this is a dragon stone? Let’s take a closer look. The sharply cut angular mouth is done with the same precision as the baby dragon stone. Also, in the close-up of the mouth, just like with the baby dragon stone, you can clearly see colors representing fire have been painted on. There is a difference in coloration however. In this stone the colors are much darker. Maybe the darker hues suggests something about this dragon’s age. Unlike the baby dragon stone there are no teeth present. No doubt they had long since fallen out. Even with its geriatric appearance, this stone is gorgeous.
The Aha people were obviously very skilled in their stonework. Although people finding these stones may think that the designs are random, they are actually far from it. Each piece was carefully thought out before it was crafted. These stones had meaning and purpose to the Aha people. They were used to tell the story of a civilization and time that existed Before the Olmec.
This ends chapter 2. As always I hope you enjoyed and learned something new. If so please share, 👌👍😁. Next post chapter 3 part I.