The Olmec had access to and controlled a large trading network.
The Olmec economy was based on the trade of their agricultural products, which they traded among themselves and with neighboring peoples, especially with nomadic peoples, or farther away as peoples of Guatemala or central Mexico (the Olmecs were in southern Mexico). The main crop was corn, along with beans, squash and cocoa; It is also known that the Olmecs exchanged their products with all the Mesoamerican groups, and established great trade routes, to obtain highly appreciated raw materials, such as jade, obsidian and rock crystal; which turned into mirrors, artistic figures, jewels, and classic sculptures typical of their culture.