Ancient site · City
La Venta
An Olmec capital on an island in the coastal swamps of Tabasco, Mexico, which became the main Olmec centre after San Lorenzo declined. Its clay Great Pyramid is one of the oldest pyramids in Mesoamerica.
Builders buried mosaic pavements of nearly 500 serpentine blocks, 'massive offerings' of serpentine and more than 50 caches of jade and polished mirrors, and set up colossal heads, thrones and carved stelae. Many of its monuments now stand in the Parque-Museo La Venta in Villahermosa. The centre was abandoned around 400 BCE.
- Dates
- c. 1200–400 BCE (main centre c. 900–400 BCE)
- Still standing
- Yes
- Location
- 18.10° N, 94.04° W
How we know
No readable writing survives; the site is dated by radiocarbon and by comparing its carvings and pottery with other Olmec sites.
Nearby sites
- San Lorenzo Tenochtitlán Olmec centre c. 1400–900 BCE
- Guilá Naquitz Cave used c. 8800–6900 BCE and again c. 650–1450 CE
- San José Mogote c. 1500–500 BCE
- Monte Albán c. 500 BCE – 850 CE
- Paso de la Amada c. 1800–1000 BCE
- El Mirador main city c. 600 BCE – 150 CE (later reoccupied)
Related
- Olmec culture (early) archaeological culture
- The world in 1500 BCE: Chariots and Empires chapter