The Olmec mother culture existed in the southern Mexican states of Veracruz and Tabasco from about 1500 to 400 BC. They left behind colossal carved heads, a calendar, and a writing system. In spite of their prominence, many mysteries remain about the Olmecs. Many scholars feel that the Olmecs were the "mother culture" of Mesoamerica and that they gave rise to the Mayans and the other great Mesoamerican civilizations. Many aspects of Mayan art, architecture and culture clearly reveal Olmec roots.
Migration from South America
Some anthropologists believe that the Mayans migrated to Mesoamerica from an original home in South America, possibly from the Amazon basin. While there is no proof of this migration mythologists claim that the Mayan hero and culture bearer Gucumatz came to Mesoamerica by boat.
Indigenous Central Americans
Still other anthropologists contend that the Mayans were indigenous people of Central America, not migrants, and their culture evolved directly from a hunting and gathering society to the great Maya civilization.