Olmecs: One of the Earliest Mesoamerican Civilizations We Know

The Olmecs flourished during the formative period of Mesoamerican civilization, which lasted from approximately 1500 BCE to 400 BCE. The early phase of Olmec culture began around 1600 BCE, with the establishment of their first major center at San Lorenzo Tenochtitlán, located in the southeastern Veracruz region near the coast. While pre-Olmec cultures had been developing in the region since around 2500 BCE, it was by 1600 BCE that the Olmecs began to solidify their cultural and political dominance in the region. They are considered the earliest of the Mesoamerican civilizations, and their cultural achievements and innovations would influence many of the civilizations that followed, including the Maya, Zapotec, and Aztec.