They were responsible for the presence of urban civilization in this region, spreading their knowledge throughout Mesoamerica, from the Gulf coast to the Pacific coast, El Salvador and Costa Rica.
The Olmecs built a large ceremonial center in (1250 BC):San Lorenzo. Its craftsmen erected a large platform 45 meters high, lining rectangular squares from north to south. Olmec art is also surprising. They knew how to carve small images in jade while making large stone heads, whose weight was estimated at 20 tons.
The figures represented are of men with thick features (lips and nose). Often, they carved a figure, half man and half jaguar, which was repeated on countless objects.
The main city (of which we are aware) built by the Olmecs was San Lorenzo. In it are the colossal heads that must represent its leaders between 1200 and 900 BC. The city spread its influence both to the North and to the South, by peaceful and bellicose means.
The construction of their monuments demonstrates that a great effort was needed to obtain the monumental effect they wanted. As they did not know the wheel or use animals for traction, this superhuman energy was spent by those men who lived near the ceremonial centers and who, somehow, were obliged to perform such an effort.
Around 900 BC, an infighting destroyed San Lorenzo and its enormous monuments were annihilated, if not totally, at least in part. But the culture would flourish elsewhere:La Venta.
As if living in an eternal challenge, new heads were raised in La Venta, of even greater proportions. The buildings, given their dimensions, are admirable for the time. We are also surprised by astronomical knowledge and skills in calculations.
The Olmecs were concerned with memorizing the dates of events they considered most important. Thus, they passed their knowledge from one generation to another. They used pictorial symbols to write. Usually they were carved from wood, unfortunately a perishable material. For this reason, there are few leftovers to be analyzed by archaeologists.
In 400 BC, La Venta was destroyed in the same way as San Lorenzo. The Olmecs stayed in Tres Zapotes until 200 BC, not building colossal heads, just producing Olmec handicrafts.
In short, the importance of the Olmec civilization is very great for us, because it will be the basis for the development of other civilizations. Among the significant examples, it is worth remembering the Aztecs and the Mayans, who will be heirs capable of rethinking the calendar and the Olmec writing.
Olmec Civilization