Mexican site shows Olmec influence

A 2,500-year-old city influenced by the Olmecs -- often referred to as the “mother culture” of Mesoamerica -- has been discovered in Mexico, hundreds of miles away from the Olmecs’ Gulf Coast territory, archeologists said Wednesday.

Two statues and architectural details at the site, known as Zazacatla, indicate that the inhabitants adopted Olmec styles when they changed from a simple, egalitarian society to a more complex, hierarchical one. Zazacatla, seven miles south of modern Cuernavaca, covered less than one square mile between 800 BC and 500 BC. Much of the site is now covered by housing and commercial development.