Archaeological culture · c. 1400–400 BCE (shown here until c. 650 BCE)
Olmec culture (early)
The earliest major civilization of Mesoamerica, in the hot, wet lowlands of southern Veracruz and western Tabasco, Mexico. Its centres, first San Lorenzo and then La Venta, carved colossal basalt heads, thrones and fine jade.
Olmec art and ideas spread widely.
See Olmec culture (early) on the map in 1400 BCE
- On the map
- 1400–650 BCE
How we know
A few Olmec carvings and the Cascajal Block may carry signs, but nothing can be read, so knowledge comes from excavation.
Sites
- San Lorenzo Tenochtitlán Olmec centre c. 1400–900 BCE
- La Venta c. 1200–400 BCE (main centre c. 900–400 BCE)