Olmec heartland Olmec heartland The Olmec heartland is the southern portion of Mexico's Gulf Coast region between the Tuxtla mountains and the Olmec archaeological site of La Venta, extending roughly 80 km (50 mi) inland from the Gulf of Mexico coastline at its deepest. It is today, as it was during the height of the Olmec civilization, a tropical lowland forest environment, crossed by meandering rivers. Most researchers consider the Olmec heartland to be the home of the Olmec culture which became widespread over Mesoamerica from 1400 BCE until roughly 400 BCE. The area is also referred to as Olman or the
Proto-Mayan language Wastek to modern Wastek it can be seen that they were originally clusters of and a rounded vowel followed by a glide. For example the word for "vulture" which in modern Wastek is pronounced was written <nowiki><cuyx></nowiki> in colonial Wastek and pronounced . The Yucatecan languages have all shifted Proto-Mayan into in wordfinal position. Several languages particularly Cholan and Yucatecan have changed short into . All Cholan languages have changed long proto-Mayan vowels and into and respectively. Vowel length distinction has been lost in Q'anjob'alan-Chujean (except for Mocho' and Akateko), Kaqchikel and Cholan. Some languages have reduced the vowel length