| Sumario: | Archaeological remains have long been subject to a variety of interpretations that determine their place in written history and exhibition spaces. This article explores the different assessments of the artifacts labeled as Olmec, emphasizing the transition that occurred between the universalism of the 19th Century and the nationalism of the interwar period. If Mexico tried to appropriate the most ancient artifacts as part of its history in order to establish the universal lineage of the nation’s past, there was no place for some of these artifacts, which certain authors linked to Africa. At the turn of the century, changes in the assessment of art during the interwar period and the changing value assigned to the non-Western past gave rise to the theory of the Olmec “mother culture” and the widespread exhibition of its artifacts, as well as an increased emphasis on the period in local history.
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