The Olmec

The Olmec was the first great civilization in Mesoamerica. It was the first known pre-Columbian Mesoamerican civilization, which flourished in southern Mexico from 1200 to 400 BCE. The Olmec came and went before the Aztecs even existed. The spread of their artifacts around the region shows that the Olmec had a great deal of influence on neighboring cultures. The giant heads carved by the Olmec have drawn interest and fascination since they were discovered. The size of these carved heads is an indication that the Olmec were very advanced and organizational with structure. The heads can also be found at La Venta, which was once the most important settlement in Mesoamerica. Today, a series of tombs, pavements, and monuments are all that remain of the city that was built in alignment with a constellation or star. The design and layout of La Venta tells us that the Olmec, like the great Mesoamerican civilizations that came after them, had an interest in and a knowledge of astronomy. In the 20th century, archeologists began finding stones and objects with engraved glyphs. A glyph is a character engraved in stone, that represents a word . These symbols may have been the Olmec writing system, but they are difficult to fully decipher. These carvings provide new information about the Olmecs.  For example, it was believed that the Olmecs were monotheistic. However because at least 10 separate gods were found in the carvings, we now believe the Olmecs worshipped many god.