Archaeologists unearthed a city that they believed was influenced by the Olmecs, only 40 km / 25 mi south of Mexico City. A new urban society related to the Olmecs suggests that their influence may have been stronger than we ever suspected.
The Olmec flourished during Mesoamerica 's formative period, dating roughly from as early as 1500 BCE to about 400 BCE. The Olmec were the first major civilization in Mexico following a progressive development in Soconusco. In short, the Maya came first, and settled in modern-day Mexico. Next came the Olmecs, who also settled Mexico. They didn’t build any major cities, but they were widespread and prosperous. They were followed by the Inca in modern-day Peru, and finally the Aztecs, also in modern-day Mexico. The Maya were the first Mesoamerican civilization, starting around 2600 B.C. They lasted the longest of all and are often viewed as the greatest Mesoamerican civilization. They built most of their great cities between A.D. 250 and A.D. 900. Experts have traditionally believed that when the Olmec were busy building their civilization at large sites such as La Venta, near the Gulf coast in modern Mexico, the people who would become the Maya were living in loosely associated nomadic groups in the jungles to the east and southeast.  The Olmec. The first great civilization of Mesoamerica is the Olmec. The Olmec were the first complex society in the region. Their name comes from what the Aztecs refer to them by: 'The Rubber People', or in the language of the Aztecs, 'The Olmec'. The Olmec did in fact grow rubber trees and harvest rubber.  In A Nutshell. The Olmec, Mayan, Incan, and Aztec civilizations are some of the greatest ancient civilizations in history, and yet we know very little about them compared to other parts of the world. The Maya were the first Mesoamerican civilization, starting around 2600 B.C. They lasted the longest of all and are often viewed as the greatest Mesoamerican civilization. They built most of their great cities between A.D. 250 and A.D. 900. The Olmec culture developed in the centuries before 1200BC (BCE), and declined around 400BC. We know far less about the Olmecs than we do about, for example, the Aztecs and Mayans. There are very few written records to tell us about the culture. In fact, at first Olmec artifacts were thought to be Mayan, and the Mayans were thought to be the first great culture in the area. The generally accepted belief is that the culture arose from people in the area, although some have suggested that the Olmecs may have originally come from Africa. It may be that the influence of the ancient Olmec civilization is far greater than we now understand. The articles on this site are ©2006-2015. If you quote this material please be courteous and provide a link. By Christopher Minster. Influence of the Olmec Civilization on Mesoamerica: The Olmec civilization thrived along Mexico's gulf coast from approximately 1200-400 B.C. and is considered the parent culture of many of the important Mesoamerican cultures that came after, including the Aztec and Maya. These extensive trade networks spread Olmec culture far and wide, spreading Olmec influence throughout Mesoamerica. Olmec Religion: The Olmec had a well-developed religion and belief in a cosmos comprised of an underworld (represented by the Olmec fish monster), the Earth (Olmec Dragon) and skies (bird monster). Mayans and Aztecs. Mayan peoples were to pay tribute to the Aztec empire many years later. But the culture of the Mayans was to influence the Aztecs in many ways. Again, we don't always know what originated with the Mayans, and what was just general culture of the area over the centuries. We do know that the Aztecs shared the Mayan love of the cacao (chocolate) bean. They were extremely influential. The Olmec are considered by historians to be the mother culture of Mesoamerica. All later cultures, such as the Veracruz, Maya, Toltec and Aztecs all borrowed from the Olmec. Certain Olmec gods, such as the Feathered Serpent, Maize God and Water God, would live on in the cosmos of these later civilizations.  In 2006, archaeologists unearthed a city that they believed was influenced by the Olmecs, only 40km / 25mi south of Mexico City. A new urban society related to the Olmecs suggests that their influence may have been stronger than we ever suspected. Read more about the city of Zazacatla and the ancient Olmec civilization. It may be that the influence of the ancient Olmec civilization is far greater than we now understand. The articles on this site are ©2006-2015. If you quote this material please be courteous and provide a link.
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how do we know the mayans were influenced by the olmec