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The Olmecs were an ancient Mesoamerican civilization that lived in southern Mexico around 1200–400 B.C. They are often called the “Mother Culture” of later Mesoamerican civilizations.
Location:
Southern Mexico (mainly Veracruz and Tabasco)
Main Characteristics:
Agricultural society: grew maize, beans, and squash
Built ceremonial centers with pyramids, plazas, and ball courts
Famous for giant stone heads carved from basalt
Developed early writing, calendar systems, and religious practices -
Definition:
The Zapotecs were an ancient Mesoamerican civilization that lived in the Valley of Oaxaca, Mexico, from around 700 B.C. to 1521 A.D. Location:
Valley of Oaxaca, southern Mexico Main Characteristics:
Developed agriculture: maize, beans, squash, and chili
Built cities and ceremonial centers, such as Monte Albán
Created writing systems and calendar systems
Skilled in pottery, jewelry, and stone carving -
Paleo-Indians were the first peoples to inhabit the Americas at the end of the last Ice Age, approximately 15,000 to 8,000 B.C. Location:
North, Central, and South America. They are believed to have migrated from Asia across Beringia (the Bering Land Bridge).