Olmec pottery was produced by the earliest known major modern-day Mexico Mesoamerican civilization. Archaeologists have dated Olmec ceramic items from 1200 to 400 BCE. They were typically made with local terracotta, white kaolin-like clay (often with a light-colored slip), or black clay. 

One of the common forms of Olmec ceramics is the baby-face figurines. They are so-called because their chubby bodies and infant-like facial features resemble babies or infants. Other types include Olmec-style heads, as well as seated individuals. Other established forms are the tecomates, which are round vessels or containers.

The Olmecs were the earliest known Mesoamerican civilization, flourishing between 1200 to 400 BCE. The most famous cultural artifacts they left behind are the monumental carved basalt pieces called Olmec colossal heads. Archeologists first discovered the giant rock carvings in the late 19th century in the Olmec heartland of modern-day Mexico. 

A large quantity of Olmec pottery has been recovered in the regions and excavation sites of San Lorenzo, Tlatilco, Tlapacoya, Las Bocas, and Xochipala. Olmec-period potters portrayed humans through naturalistic figurines. Most of these items are simple in design and made of local terracotta. Typical types of Olmec figurines are depictions of seated individuals and people with nonstandard bodies. 

A notable Olmec pottery form is the “baby-face” figurine, a unique representation of Olmec culture and an example of one of the earliest traditions of portraiture in the Americas. The characteristics of these ceramic baby figurines are chubby bodies, baby-like jowly faced, mouths with downturned lines, and puffy eyes. In addition, they are often naked but without genitalia, a unique feature of Olmec art. These figurines usually stand 9.8 - 13.8 inches high and feature a white or cream slip. The historical meaning and nature of these baby figurines remains one of the biggest mysteries in Olmec iconography. 

Other ceramic forms include Olmec heads, often wearing a helmet similar to those worn by the Olmec colossal heads. One theory suggests that rising chiefs and leaders commissioned the statues and figurines as representations of their power. 

Historians believe that the earliest forms of ceramic vessels in Mesoamerica were the gourd-shaped containers made with durable fired clay. The vessels, known as tecomates or "gourds," were used as containers for community feasts and were placed in burials as funerary offerings. 

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Olmec ceramics are pre-Columbian pottery items originating from the historical regions of Mesoamerica. The most common forms are figurines with naturalistic human depictions made from local terracotta, white, or black clay. 

Olmec pottery is one of the richest art forms of pre-Columbian civilization and one of the earliest models of iconography in Mesoamerica. Today, Olmec ceramics are mainly displayed in the Xalapa Museum of Anthropology in Veracruz, the Metropolitan Museum in New York, the National Institute of Anthropology and History in Mexico City, and other museums. They may be found and sold by private collectors. Replicas are easily found and remain available for purchase. 

Find the Value of your Olmec Pottery. WorthPoint is the largest resource online for identifying, researching and valuing antiques. Explore over 425 Million “sold for” prices with item details and images.

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Books and Periodicals

Ceramics: Olmec Pottery by Jeffrey Blomster

Mesoamerica - Olmec figurines by Christopher Pool

Mexico: from the Olmecs to the Aztecs by Michael Coe

Olmec Art at Dumbarton Oaks by Karl Taube

The Early Olmec and Mesoamerica: the Material Record by Jeffrey Blomster and David Cheetham

Web Resources

7 things you need to know: Olmec Art www.sothebys.com

Monumental Mexico - the art and culture of the Olmecs minervamagazine.com 

Olmec Art www.metmuseum.org

Olmec civilization www.nationalgeographic.org

Related Dictionary pages: Incan Pottery, Mayan Pottery, Mixtec Pottery, Toltec Pottery/Terra cotta