Who were the Olmecs?
As one of the significant pre-Columbian cultures that flourished in south central area of modern day Mexico, the Olmecs are understood to have laid the foundation for many of the Mesoamerican cultures that later developed all across the region. Here is some background on the Olmecs, including their contributions to the development of civilization in the New World. Established in an area of Mexico that is known for its tropical climate and low lying areas, the centers of Olmec civilization were located in what is today the Mexican states of Veracruz and Tabasco on the Isthmus of Tehuantepec. Historians tend to agree that the Olmec established the first permanent society in Mesoamerica to actually flourish and develop over a long period of time. It is generally understood that the Olmecs controlled the region from about 1200 BCE to 400 BCE. The rich soil and the tropical climate of the region made it possible for the Olmecs to develop a highly structured society that was based on the pro
The Olmec were an ancient Pre-Columbian people living in the tropical lowlands of south-central Mexico, roughly in what are the modern-day states of Veracruz and Tabasco on the Isthmus of Tehuantepec. Their immediate cultural influence, however, extends far beyond this region. The Olmec flourished during the Formative (or Preclassic) period, dating from 1200 BCE to about 400 BCE, and are believed to have been the progenitor civilization of later Mesoamerican civilizations The Olmec may have been the first civilization in the Western Hemisphere to develop a writing system. Symbols found in 2002 and 2006 date to 650 BCE[9] and 900 BCE[10] respectively, preceding the oldest Zapotec writing dated to about 500 BCE. The Long Count calendar used by many subsequent Mesoamerican civilizations, as well as the concept of zero, may have been devised by the Olmecs.
