Artistic wonders from Mexico's oldest civilization.

The first comprehensive exhibition of Olmec art is providing a panoramic view of the artistic achievements of Mexico's earliest and least-known civilization. The 122 objects in the show at the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., were created in Mexico and Central America 3,000 years ago, long before the great Mayan, Teotihuacan, and Aztec civilizations.

The Olmecs evolved from hunting and gathering societies that migrated to North America at least 10,000 years earlier. Olmec cities and agricultural villages flourished throughout southern Mexico and northern Central America from 1200 to 300 B.C. The Olmecs primarily...