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The '''Olmecs''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|ɒ|l|m|ɛ|k|s|,_|ˈ|oʊ|l|-}}) were the earliest known major [[Mesoamerica]]n [[civilization]]. Following a progressive development in [[Soconusco, Veracruz|Soconusco]], they occupied the tropical lowlands of the modern-day Mexican states of [[Veracruz]] and [[Tabasco]]. It has been speculated that the Olmecs derived in part from the neighboring [[Mokaya]] or [[Mixe–Zoque languages|Mixe–Zoque]] cultures.
The Olmecs flourished during [[Mesoamerica]]'s [[Mesoamerican chronology|formative period]], dating roughly from as early as 1500 [[Before the Common Era|BCE]] to about 400 BCE. Pre-Olmec cultures had flourished since about 2500 BCE, but by 1600–1500 BCE, early Olmec culture had emerged, centered on the [[San Lorenzo Tenochtitlán]] site near the coast in southeast Veracruz.<ref>{{cite book|title=The Olmecs : America's First Civilization|author-link=Richard Diehl|last=Diehl|first=Richard A.|publisher=Thames and Hudson|year=2004|location=London|isbn=0-500-28503-9|pages=[https://archive.org/details/olmecsamericasfi0000dieh/page/9 9–25]|url=https://archive.org/details/olmecsamericasfi0000dieh/page/9}}</ref> They were the first Mesoamerican civilization, and laid many of the foundations for the civilizations that followed.<ref>See Pool (2007) p. 2. Although there is wide agreement that the Olmec culture helped lay the foundations for the civilizations that followed, there is disagreement over the extent of the Olmec contributions, and even a proper definition of the Olmec "culture". See "[[Olmec influences on Mesoamerican cultures]]" for a deeper treatment of this question.</ref> Among other "firsts", the Olmec appeared to practice [[Bloodletting in Mesoamerica|ritual bloodletting]] and played the [[Mesoamerican ballgame]], hallmarks of nearly all subsequent Mesoamerican societies. The aspect of the Olmecs most familiar now is their artwork, particularly the aptly named "[[Olmec colossal heads|colossal heads]]".<ref>See, as one example, Diehl, p. 11.</ref> The Olmec civilization was first defined through artifacts which collectors purchased on the [[pre-Columbian art]] market in the late 19th century and early 20th
==Etymology==
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