The Olmec were the first civilization in Mesoamerica and their culture influenced many later civilizations. They lived in the tropical lowlands on the Gulf of Mexico. Because the Olmec did not have much writing, we don't know what name the Olmec people gave themselves. The name "Olmec" is a word in the Aztec language that means "the rubber people". The Olmec might have been the first people to figure out how to make things from the sap of the rubber tree. They played a game using balls made from solid rubber which became popular throughout Mesoamerica.