Editing Olmecs (section)

==Beyond the heartland==
{{Main|Olmec influences on Mesoamerican cultures}}
[[File:Formative Era sites.svg|thumb|upright=1.3|The major Formative Period (Pre-Classic Era) sites in present-day Mexico which show Olmec influences in the archaeological record]]

Olmec-style artifacts, designs, figurines, monuments and iconography have been found in the archaeological records of sites hundreds of kilometres outside the Olmec heartland. These sites include:<ref>See Pool, pp. 179–242; Diehl, pp. 126–151.</ref>

===Central Mexico===
[[Tlatilco]] and [[Tlapacoya (archeological site)|Tlapacoya]], major centers of the [[Tlatilco culture]] in the [[Valley of Mexico]], where artifacts include hollow [[Olmec figurine#Baby-face motif|baby-face motif]] figurines and Olmec designs on ceramics.

[[Chalcatzingo]], in Valley of [[Morelos]], central Mexico, which features Olmec-style monumental art and rock art with Olmec-style figures.

Also, in 2007, archaeologists unearthed [[Zazacatla]], an Olmec-influenced city in Morelos. Located about {{convert|40|km|mi}} south of Mexico City, Zazacatla covered about {{convert|1|sqmi|km2|order=flip|round=0.5}} between 800 and 500&nbsp;BCE.<ref>Stefan Lovgren, [https://web.archive.org/web/20070202011007/http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2007/01/070126-mexico-olmec.html Ancient City Found in Mexico; Shows Olmec Influence.] National Geographic News, 26 January 2007</ref>

===Western Mexico===
[[Teopantecuanitlan]], in [[Guerrero]], which features Olmec-style monumental art as well as city plans with distinctive Olmec features.

Also, the [[Juxtlahuaca]] and [[Oxtotitlán]] cave paintings feature Olmec designs and motifs.<ref>For example, Diehl, p. 170 or Pool, p. 54.</ref>

===Southern Mexico and Guatemala===
Olmec influence is also seen at several sites in the [[Southern Maya area]].

In Guatemala, sites showing probable Olmec influence include [[San Bartolo (Maya site)|San Bartolo]], [[Takalik Abaj]] and [[La Democracia, Escuintla|La Democracia]].

===Nature of interaction===
Many theories have been advanced to account for the occurrence of Olmec influence far outside the heartland, including long-range trade by Olmec merchants, Olmec colonization of other regions, Olmec artisans travelling to other cities, conscious imitation of Olmec artistic styles by developing towns – some even suggest the prospect of Olmec military domination or that the Olmec iconography was actually developed outside the heartland.<ref>Flannery et al. (2005) hint that Olmec iconography was first developed in the [[Tlatilco culture]].</ref>

The generally accepted, but by no means unanimous, interpretation is that the Olmec-style artifacts, in all sizes, became associated with elite status and were adopted by non-Olmec Formative Period chieftains in an effort to bolster their status.<ref>See for example Reilly; Stevens (2007); Rose (2007). For a full discussion, see [[Olmec influences on Mesoamerican cultures]].</ref>