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The major source of knowledge about the hundreds of years of Olmec civilization is through its surviving artwork. The first discovery of Olmec art was a colossal head, found in the area of Tres Zapotes in 1862. As of 2004 seventeen colossal heads have been located in several sites. These, like much Olmec art, were designed to glorify the Olmec rulers. For the Olmecs, art was meant to give power to the shaman or ruler. The massive "altars" made of enormous carved basalt blocks weighing up to 44 tons (40 metric tons), for instance, are believed to have served as thrones for the Olmec kings.

At the bottom and front of each of these altars was a carved niche. A small human figure sits in the niche, holding either a were-jaguar on his lap or a cord in his hand, or both. The niche, according to experts, represents a cave, or the entrance to the supernatural world and the ruler's ties to the gods. The process of entering into the other world--the world of the supernatural--is central to most Olmec art.

Though they were masters at stone carving, the Olmec were also highly skilled potters and stone cutters. Much of their pottery depicts nagual transformations--the jaguar in particular, but also the harpy (part bird, part woman), shark, and caiman (a kind of crocodile found in Central and South America). Among Olmec artifacts, archaeologists have found many life-sized ceramic human infants made from white clay. They are realistic portraits and beautifully crafted, but experts are not certain of their significance. They may have celebrated birth but, on the other hand, they may have been portraits of the children about to be sacrificed.

The Olmecs carved some of the hardest stones--jade, serpentine, and jadeite--into figurines, masks, and celts (ground stone axe heads). Because the Olmecs lacked metal tools, the task of carving would have been extremely time consuming. Jade was especially treasured. One greenstone figurine found in Veracruz is exemplary. The figure is a young man sitting cross-legged with a baby were-jaguar lying in his lap. Carved on the young man's shoulders and knees are outlines of the heads of other gods.

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