The Olmecs were one of the earliest complex societies of Mesoamerica, flourishing in the humid lowlands of the Gulf Coast of Mexico, in what are now the states of Veracruz and Tabasco. Their first major centre was San Lorenzo, later succeeded by La Venta, where they raised earthen pyramids and ceremonial complexes. They are best known for colossal basalt heads, probably portraits of rulers, which were carved from stone hauled long distances from the Tuxtla Mountains. Olmec art, jade work, ritual ball game and calendrical ideas influenced later cultures such as the Maya. The name was applied to them by archaeologists, and what they called themselves is unknown.
Before and after
- from c. 1,500 BCE to 500 BCELapita
- c. 1,500 BCERigveda
- c. 1,500 BCEOrigins of Zoroastrianism
- c. 1,460 BCEEruption of Taupo
- c. 1,400 BCEOlmecas
- from c. 1,400 BCE to 1,301 BCE14th century BC
- c. 1,400 BCEConstruction of Luxor Temple
- c. 1,370 BCEBirth of Nefertiti
- c. 1,370 BCEEruption of Witori
More in Evolution & life
- from c. 3,200 BCE to 3,060 BCENaqada III
- c. 3,000s BCEThe Austronesian expansion begins from Taiwan
- c. 3,000s BCEYamnaya herders spread across Europe and Asia
- from c. 2,200 BCE to 1,700 BCEBactria–Margiana Archaeological Complex
- 21st century BCEThe last mammoths die out on Wrangel Island
- from c. 2,000 BCE to 1,500 BCEPhilippine Jade Artifacts
The era
This moment belongs to the Ancient civilizations (3,200 BCE to 500 CE), writing, cities and empires. You can also browse everything in the 14th century BCE.