Olmec Civilization Map Print Watercolour Paper

The word Olmec is derived from the Nahuatl word Ōlmēcatl, which translates to rubber people. The Olmecs were an early Mesoamerican culture who lived in the modern-day areas of Veracruz and Tabasco, Mexico, between the years of 1200 to 400 BCE. The civilization began at the development site of San Lorenzo Tenochtitlán in Veracruz, and relocated to La Venta in the tenth century. The Olmecs are believed to have practiced bloodletting - the ritualized practice of self-cutting for cultural reasons - and played the Mesoamerican ballgame. The Olmec civilization is best known for their stone basalt heads, and was first defined through its artifacts.