Caged tigers When La Venta was first uncovered, Matthew Sterling, the main figure in the discovery, argued that the Olmec preceded Mayan civilization. His assertion drew heated retorts from scholars partisan to the Mayans. Later, the Olmec's status as the "mother culture" was widely accepted. Yet, our understanding of the past is always changing.
當拉汶塔初次發掘時，主事者史塔林推測奧爾梅克早於馬雅文明，還曾引起馬雅捍衛者的抗議和激辯，如今它「文明之母」的地位已經確立。