Fall

The Olmec civilization did not fall all at once. San Lorenzo declined first, possibly due to volcanic eruptions, changes in rivers, or even a revolt by common people. La Venta became powerful next but eventually declined too, though the area was never fully abandoned.

After about 350–300 BCE, Olmec culture slowly changed into what we call the Epi-Olmec, which lasted for several hundred more years. Even though the civilization faded, its ideas lived on in later Mesoamerican cultures.