Aztec and Maya civilizations are household names – but it's the Olmecs who are the 'mother culture' of ancient Mesoamerica
- Written by Karl Taube, Distinguished Professor of Anthropology, University of California, Riverside
Olmec culture deeply shaped later Mesoamerican civilizations like the Aztecs.Danny Lehman/The Image Bank via Getty ImagesAn extremely important 1-ton sculpture, sometimes referred to by archaeologists as an “Earth Monster” or Monument 9, was repatriated to Mexico from a private collection in Colorado in May 2023, according to an...

