About 900 BCE, jadeite and other greenstones became the preferred material for precious small‑scale Olmec objects of symbolic importance. These stones derive ideological value from their rarity and color, which was often associated with water and maize fertility.

Objects that are Olmec in style have been found in such distant areas of Mesoamerica as Tlapacoya and Tlatilco in the Valley of Mexico, Chalcatzingo in Morelos, and Teopantecuanitlan in Guerrero.

Objects that are Olmec in style have been found in such distant areas of Mesoamerica as Tlapacoya and Tlatilco in the Valley of Mexico, Chalcatzingo in Morelos, and Teopantecuanitlan in Guerrero.

Objects known as “spoons” may have functioned as trays from which hallucinogenic snuff was inhaled.

The carved stone images Olmec kings wore on their foreheads and chests projected supernatural power.

The carved stone images Olmec kings wore on their foreheads and chests projected supernatural power. This carved jadeite bead in the shape of a monkey would have originally been suspended from a necklace as indicated by the drilled hole at the back of the figure's head. Deeply incised lines indicate the facial features and arms of the figure.