The Olmec establish the first great civilization in Mesoamerica.
Called the “mother civilization” because of its great influence on the cultures of later Mesoameri-can people, the Olmec civilization emerges in the humid lands along the Gulf coast in what is now southern Mexico. The rich wild-plant resources in the region allow the Olmec population to grow and eventually spread throughout Mesoamerica.
The Olmec build large urban areas such as San Lorenzo and La Venta, where people gather to trade and attend religious ceremonies. These centers feature large public buildings and pyramids, constructed by great teams of workers. Commoners also farm nearby fields, and craftsworkers produce
A plaster reproduction of one of the gigantic stone heads found at the Olmec site of San Lorenzo (Neg. no. 321216, Photo by Rota, courtesy the Library, American Museum of Natural History)
Figurines, ceremonial paraphernalia, and ornaments for the elite. Artisans create monumental sculptures, such as the gigantic human heads excavated at the San Lorenzo site. Measuring as tall as five feet and weighing as much as 20 tons, these basalt sculptures may be portraits of the Olmec’s rulers.
The Olmec culture largely disappears by A. D. 300, but through the Maya (see entry for CA. 300 TO 1500), Toltec (see entry for CA. 900 TO 1200), and Aztec (see entry for CA. 1430 TO 1517) civilizations many elements of its social, religious, military, and artistic traditions will survive for more than a millennium.
Designs and animal shapes that may have been used as stamps for body tattooing. Some goods also suggest that the Adena are participants in a longdistance trade network. A number of mounds, for instance, hold bracelets, rings, and axes that Adena artisans craft from copper imported from present-day Michigan (see entry for CA. 3000 TO 2500 B. C.). The Adena culture will begin to disappear in the first century A. D. and will gradually be displaced by the people of the Hopewell tradition (see entry for CA. 200 B. C. TO A. D. 400).
World History
