OLMEC - A Mesoamerican culture on the Mexican gulf coast which was at its height from 1200 to 600 B.C. They probably influenced other great civilizations of Mesoamerica, including the Maya. The Olmec were probably the first to develop large religious and ceremonial centers with temple mounds, large sculptures, huge altars, and sophisticated systems of drains and lagoons.

The Olmec were probably also the first Mesoamericans to invent writing with glyph and the 260-day calendar.