Due to the rainy season and floods, the levees were only able to sustain one crop per year, but these crops were enormous. The lands along the river were private lands of the upper class, land above the 75 foot water mark were worked by the middle class and those below were left for the poorer class.
The Olmec government is believed to have been based on social stratification and kingship. Mayan inscriptions have described the Olmec government as secular, which is based on hereditary lineage. It has been suggested theirs was a hierarchal society made up of a king, nobles, priests, and perhaps craftsmen and traders. The middle and lower classes were made up of farmers, hunters, fishers, and carriers. There is some dispute as to whether slaves were present in the Olmec society. There was no military present so the king had to have installed loyalty and subservience in his people with the beliefs of superior bloodlines, superstitions, and fear. It was also not feasible for one king to hold complete power over all 5 of the Olmec cities. Therefore the current theory is that the Olmec king ruled over San Lorenzo and princes administered the other smaller cities. It is quite possible that while the princes were upholding the laws of the Olmec king, they were also developing laws of their own. .
Monuments and sculptures have been found in these smaller cities that show small thrones and sculptures of seated princes. It is believed that the Olmec king sponsored such activities such as the construction of terraces for farming, plazas, elite residences, and systems of elaborate stone drains. The king quite possibly controlled much of the trading as well. Obsidian, jade, and iron ores were the most commonly imported items for the Olmec. These items were used mainly for religious art. The Olmecs produced goods for trade as well, such as carved wooden bowls, textiles and pottery. There is evidence of workshops in San Lorenzo and it is believed that the Olmec king controlled much of what was produced in them.
