pre-Columbian art and architecture: The Olmec

The Olmec civilization, to the west, in the area of Veracruz and Tabasco, Mexico, was developing in the Preclassic period. Specifically, the period 800 to 400 b.c. marks the finest period of Olmec art as typified by the finds made at the site of La Venta. It is believed that the Olmec devised the Long Count Calendar and invented writing and that they may well be the source of these developments among the Maya. Noted for the excellence of their stone carving—ranging from small, finely detailed jade objects to colossal, often realistic basalt heads—the Olmec frequently used a motif combining human and jaguar features.

Sections in this article:

• Introduction
• The Inca
• Ancient Peru
• Other Mexican Cultures
• The Aztec
• The Toltec
• Teotihuacán
• The Olmec
• The Maya
• Bibliography

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