The Tezcatlipoca figure goes back to earlier Mesoamerican deities worshipped by the Olmec and Maya. Tongue piercing was practiced by the Aztec, Olmec and Mayan cultures as a ritual symbol. They included civilizations such as the Olmec, Maya, Zapotec, Moche, and Nazca. In Mesoamerica, the great majority of Olmec figurines were in terracotta. It is one of several Mesoamerican sites with both Olmec and Maya features. Mesoamerica enters the Pre-Classic (Olmec) period. Maya civilization arose as the Olmec mother culture gradually declined. The earliest known civilization is the Olmec. Both are powerful creatures associated with ancient Olmec shamanic transformation. Reyes frequently mixes Western esotericism with Olmec beliefs of his ancestors. The exact cause of the decline of the Olmec culture is uncertain. It is one of the finest examples of an Olmec colossal head. Scholars have yet to determine the cause of the eventual extinction of the Olmec culture. A few, such as the Olmec, Maya, Mixtec, and Nahua had their own written records. Unlike later cultures, there is no representation of actual bloodletting in Olmec art.