The Olmecs

Where they lived

1600 BCE

One of the earliest civilizations in the Americas was the Olmec Civilization. The Olmecs lived about 1600 BC. They lived in the forests along the rivers of Mexico's east coast . Many later groups of Native peoples learned from the Olmec civilization.

Games

1500 BCE

A court to play ulama was built about this time in Chiapas, Mexico. Olmecs used latex balls for the game. The Olmecs processed rubber using latex from rubber trees mixed with juice from the morning glory vine. The rubber was used to make a bouncy ball for their ball games.

Olmec Religion/Ritual

1400 BCE

One of the least understood aspects of Olmec religion is ritual. We know something about the architectural setting in which rituals were held and about the nonperishable objects that we assume were used in ritual contexts, but Olmec dances, prayer, chants, feasts and other behaviors are lost forever.

The Olmec Civilization

1150 BCE

The Olmec's were the earliest known major civilization in Mexico a progressive development in Soncumsco. They lived in the tropical lowlands of the south-central Mexico, in the present-day states of the Veracruz and Tabasco.

Settlement

1000 BCE

The settlement at Canton Corralito on the southern Mexico-Guatemala border covered at least 60 acres by this time and was believed to be a colony of the Gulf Olmec people. About this time the nearby Coatan River began to rise and engulfed the settlement.

Housing

800 BCE

Zazacatla in central Mexico covered less than one square mile between during this period. Inhabitants of Zazacatla adopted Olmec styles when they changed from a simple, egalitarian society to a more complex, hierarchical one. Much of it was later covered by housing and commercial development extending from Cuernavaca.

Olmec City/Temple

400 BCE

Here, the Olmec constructed permanent city-temple complexes at San Lorenzo Tenochtitlan, La Venta, Tres Zapotec, and Laguna de los Cerros. In this region, the first Mesoamerican civilization emerged and reigned from c. 1600–400 BCE.

Died off

400 BCE

In 2006 Mexican archaeologists discovered a stone block in Veracruz state inscribed with 62 distinct signs that dated to about this time. The Cascajal stone was attributed to the Olmecs, who civilization lasted from about 1500 BC-400 BC.

Known for/as

400

The Olmecs, who called themselves Xi, were the earliest known civilization of Mesoamerica. They influenced the subsequent civilizations of the Maya and Aztec. They inhabited the Gulf Coast region of what is now Mexico and Central America. Their capital was San Lorenzo, near the present day city of Veracruz.

Gems and Jade

May 21, 2002

There were reports that in May 21st 2002 they found a source of jade deposited by the Olmecs and the Mayans. A jade is a bright green Jadiet for Guatemala treasures. It is a very rare gem to find.