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In Chiapas, Mexico a court was built to play ulama. The Olmecs used latex balls to play the game. They also made rubber using latex from rubber trees mixed with juice from the morning glory vine. They used the rubber to make a bouncy ball for their ball games.
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The Olmecs were the earliest known civilization of Mesoamerica. They called themselves Xi. The subsequent civilizations of the Maya and Aztec were influenced by the Olmecs. The region of what is now Mexico and Central America used to be inhibited by The Olmecs. Their capital was San Lorenzo, which is near the present day city of Veracruz.
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There was a settlement called Canton Corralito which was located on the southern Mexico-Guatemala border. The border covered 60 acres at the least by this time. It was believed to be a colony of the Gulf Olmec people. At around this time, the nearby Coatan River began to rise and engulfed the settlement.
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A stone block in Veracruz state was discovered by Mexican archeologists In 2006. The stone block was inscribed with 62 distinct signs that dated to around 900 BC. The Cascajal Stone is attributed to The Olmecs and their civilization lasted from about 1200 BC-400 BC.
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La Venta becomes the capital and the population was over 18,000 people. The very first place in Mesoamerica to have a pyramid built on it was in La Venta. All of the buildings in La Venta are lined up symmetrically.
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This time period was referred to as the Late Olmec Period of southern Mexico. This is because pyramids were featured for the first time in ceremonial centers. The 2nd major Olmec capital, La Venta dates to around this time.
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The city of Zazacatla in central Mexico covered less than one square mile during this period of time. Zazacatla styles changed from a simple, egalitarian society to more of a complex hierarchical one. This happened when inhabitants of Zazacatla adopted Olmec styles. Although later much of it was covered by commercial development and housing that extended from Cuernavaca. 800 BC
500 BC -
The Olmecs were very skilled at hunting and also farming. They harvested food for themselves and others. Using the skin of the animals they killed they made clothing.
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During this time, the Olmec suddenly disappeared. They left leaving artifacts, inscriptions, and everything they had. It is guessed that the Olmec split into the Myan and Aztecs.
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There was a report found that scientist in Guatemala found the source of jade deposits. This was used by the Olmec and Mayans. This interesting report was made on May 21, 2002.
