Olmec Tribe

Olmec Tribe

What does Olmec mean?

Aztec word that means RUBBER PEOPLE

The Olmec society lasted from about 1600 BCE to around 350 BCE, when environmental factors made their villages unlivable. 

Olmec 4 Facts

• Carved giant statues of heads of their rulers/kings/etc.

• Olmec is an aztec word meaning rubber people

• They lived on gulf coast and what is today called MEXICO!

• Olmec tribes died off around 400 BCE due to water shortages and volcanic disasters.

Rubber People

Why were they called "rubber people?"

Olmecs made rubber balls

Because they made and traded rubber throughout Mesoamerica.

Olmec Agriculture

Olmecs grew and harvested Maize

Maize is another word for corn!

What is Maize another word for?