Empire · 1600–400 BCE · Southern North America
Olmec civilisation
Also known as Olmec
The Olmec, who lived in the hot, swampy lowlands of Mexico's Gulf Coast in today's Veracruz and Tabasco, created the first complex society in Mesoamerica. Around 1200 BCE San Lorenzo became a major centre, with earthen platforms and drainage channels, and after about 900 BCE La Venta took its place, with a great earthen pyramid.
Olmec rulers, possibly the people portrayed in the famous colossal basalt heads weighing up to about 50 tons, controlled trade in jade, obsidian and other luxury goods across Mesoamerica. The Olmec developed a religion featuring jaguar, maize and rain deities, and probably played the rubber ball game. Their own name is unknown; Olmec, meaning rubber people, is an Aztec word. The heartland declined around 400 BCE, probably because of environmental change.
- Years
- 1600–400 BCE
- Capital
- San Lorenzo, then La Venta
- Greatest extent
- 900 BCE, about 50,000 km²
- Region
- Southern North America
Gulf Coast heartland in Veracruz and Tabasco, with influence across Mesoamerica (rough estimate)
Legacy
Often called the mother culture of Mesoamerica, the Olmec pioneered art styles, religious ideas and the ball game later developed by the Maya and others.
Rulers
- Olmec rulers (names unknown) c. 1200 – 400 BCE
Probably portrayed in the colossal stone heads
Realms on the map
- Olmec Civilization 650–351 BCE