Question

Why are artifacts like this mask from cultures like the Olmec important?

Answer 1

This mask was probably worn around the neck as a pendant and may have given the wearer a new identity, perhaps that of an ancestor or a god. It was made by the Olmecs, the earliest known settled civilization of Central America.

Answer 2

The Olmec masks are important because it displays charicteristics unique to Olmec art. Masks are important to the Mesoamerican culture, and other cultures of art that have adopted their ideas.