Olmecs

The term “Olmec” derives from Olmeca-Xicalanca, the Aztec name for conquest-era Gulf Coast traders. This designation, however, is not without problems given the ethnic and historical links it implies. Indeed, “Olmec” refers to two things: (1) an art style and symbolic system widely dispersed throughout Mesoamerica; and (2) a pre-Columbian culture that flourished from 1200