Editing Olmecs (section)

===Origins===
{{Main|San Lorenzo Tenochtitlán}}
Pre-Olmec cultures had flourished since about 2500&nbsp;BCE, and it has been speculated that the Olmecs derived in part from the neighboring [[Mokaya]] or [[Mixe–Zoque languages|Mixe–Zoque]] cultures which developed during this time.<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> The beginnings of Olmec civilization have traditionally been placed between [[14th century BC|1400 BCE]] and [[12th century BC|1200 BCE]]. Past finds of Olmec remains ritually deposited at the shrine [[El Manatí]] near the triple archaeological sites known collectively as [[San Lorenzo Tenochtitlán]] moved this back to at least [[16th century BC|1600–1500&nbsp;BCE]].<ref>Richard A Diehl, 2004, The Olmecs – America's First Civilization London: Thames & Hudson, pp. 25, 27.</ref> It seems that the Olmec had their roots in early farming cultures of [[Tabasco]], which began between [[5100 BCE]] and [[4600 BCE]]. These shared the same basic food crops and technologies of the later Olmec civilization.<ref>Diehl, 2004: pp. 23–24.</ref>

What is today called Olmec first appeared fully within San Lorenzo Tenochtitlán, where distinctive Olmec features occurred around 1400&nbsp;BCE. The rise of civilization was assisted by the local ecology of well-watered [[alluvial]] soil, as well as by the transportation network provided by the [[Coatzacoalcos River|Coatzacoalcos]] river basin. This environment may be compared to that of other ancient centers of civilization such as the [[Nile]], [[Indus River|Indus]], [[Yellow River]] and [[Mesopotamia]]. This highly productive environment encouraged a densely concentrated population, which in turn triggered the rise of an elite class.<ref>{{cite book | last = Beck | first = Roger B. | author2 = Linda Black | author3 = Larry S. Krieger | author4 = Phillip C. Naylor| author5 = Dahia Ibo Shabaka | title = World History: Patterns of Interaction | publisher = McDougal Littell | year = 1999 | location = Evanston, IL | url =https://archive.org/details/mcdougallittellw00beck| url-access = registration | isbn = 0-395-87274-X }}</ref> The elite class created the demand for the production of the symbolic and sophisticated luxury artifacts that define Olmec culture.<ref>Pool, pp. 26–27, provides a great overview of this theory, and says: "The generation of food surpluses is necessary for the development of social and political hierarchies and there is no doubt that high agricultural productivity, combined with the natural abundance of aquatic foods in the Gulf lowlands supported their growth."</ref> Many of these luxury artifacts were made from materials such as [[Jade use in Mesoamerica|jade]], [[Obsidian use in Mesoamerica|obsidian]], and [[magnetite]], which came from distant locations and suggest that early Olmec elites had access to an extensive trading network in Mesoamerica. The source of the most valued jade was the [[Motagua River]] valley in eastern [[Guatemala]],<ref>Pool, p. 151.</ref> and Olmec obsidian has been traced to sources in the Guatemala highlands, such as El Chayal and [[San Martín Jilotepeque]], or in [[Puebla (state)|Puebla]],<ref>Diehl, p. 132, or Pool, p. 150.</ref> distances ranging from 200 to 400&nbsp;km (120–250 miles) away, respectively.<ref name="Pool, p. 103">Pool, p. 103.</ref>

The state of [[Guerrero]], and in particular its early [[Mezcala culture]], seem to have played an important role in the early history of Olmec culture. Olmec-style artifacts tend to appear earlier in some parts of Guerrero than in the Veracruz-Tabasco area. In particular, the relevant objects from the Amuco-Abelino site in Guerrero reveal dates as early as [[1530s BC|1530 BCE]].<ref>{{cite book|last1=Evans|first1=Susan Toby|author-link1=Susan Toby Evans|last2=Webster|first2=David L.|author-link2=David L. Webster|title=Archaeology of Ancient Mexico and Central America: An Encyclopedia|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vZ3DAAAAQBAJ&pg=PA315|year=2000|publisher=Taylor & Francis|isbn=978-1-136-80185-3|page=315}}</ref>