Discovering the Olmecs

An “eminently readable account” of this ancient Mesoamerican civilization—and the experiences of the archaeologists who have unearthed its history ( Choice ). The Olmecs are renowned for their massive carved stone heads and other sculptures, the first stone monuments produced in Mesoamerica. Seven decades of archaeological research have given us many insights into the lifeways of the Olmecs, who inhabited parts of the modern Mexican states of Veracruz and Tabasco from around 1150 to 400 BC, and