Even the famous Maya culture was strongly influenced by the Olmec civilization, and further developed its legacy in the areas of astronomy, architecture and sculpture. Thus the Olmec has been described as a "mother culture" which gave birth to the other ancient Mesoamerican civilizations including the Maya and the Aztec.
連鼎鼎大名的馬雅文化也受到奧爾梅克相當的影響，在天文、建築、雕刻上進一步發展，因此目前它被公認為孕育中美洲古文明的「母文化」。