Olmecs
Colossal head carvers
The Olmecs were a Mesoamerican civilization that flourished along the Gulf Coast of Mexico from roughly 1500 to 400 BCE.
Often called the "mother culture" of later civilizations like the Maya and Aztec, the Olmecs are known for colossal stone heads, early writing systems, and the Mesoamerican ballgame.
The Olmecs left behind massive basalt sculptures depicting their rulers.
Southern U.S. maritime region
- TabascoPeppery Louisiana condiment
- VeracruzMexican Gulf port city
- pre-ColumbianAmericas before 1492
- ZapotecMesoamerican indigenous group
Maya · heartland · lowlands · tropical · rainforest · cacao · maize · ballgame
Fine-grained volcanic stone
- monolithHuge solitary standing stone
- stone carvingSculptural work in rock
- monumentalExceptionally large or significant
- portraitsImages of specific people
helmets · thrones · altars · stelae · jadeite · serpentine · greenstone · celts
Spiritual healers and intermediaries
- transformationThorough change in form
- bloodlettingTherapeutic withdrawal of fluid
- sacrificeGiving up something precious
- offeringsThings presented or given
ceremonial · rituals · cosmology · underworld · sacred mountains · polytheism · divination · hallucinogens
Human-made historical objects
- excavationAct of unearthing
- stratigraphyStudy of rock layers
- radiocarbon datingDetermining age via isotope decay
- potsherdsFragments of broken ceramics
midden · chronology · earthen mounds · drainage systems · heritage · legacy
Gulf Coast
Southern U.S. maritime region
- TabascoPeppery Louisiana condiment
- VeracruzMexican Gulf port city
- pre-ColumbianAmericas before 1492
Zapotec · Maya · heartland · lowlands · tropical · rainforest · cacao · maize · ballgame · Long Count calendar
basalt
Fine-grained volcanic stone
- monolithHuge solitary standing stone
- stone carvingSculptural work in rock
- monumentalExceptionally large or significant
portraits · helmets · thrones · altars · stelae · jadeite · serpentine · greenstone · celts · masks
shamans
Spiritual healers and intermediaries
- transformationThorough change in form
- bloodlettingTherapeutic withdrawal of fluid
- sacrificeGiving up something precious
offerings · ceremonial · rituals · cosmology · underworld · sacred mountains · polytheism · divination · hallucinogens · priesthood
artifacts
Human-made historical objects
- excavationAct of unearthing
- stratigraphyStudy of rock layers
- radiocarbon datingDetermining age via isotope decay
potsherds · midden · chronology · earthen mounds · drainage systems · heritage · legacy
lost civilization
Ancient society now gone
- ancient civilizationsAncient Egypt, Sumer, Ancient Greece, Aztecs, Egypt
- historical peoplesAztecs, Babylonians, Celts, Egyptians, Gauls
- Lost CivilizationsAtlantis, Pompeii, Troy, Babylon, Mycenae
- Mexican HistoryMexican Revolution, Mexican Independence, Mexican-American War, Texas Revolution, Aztec Empire
- ancient worldancient Greece, ancient Rome, ancient Egypt, pyramids, pyramid
- prehistorystone tools, Neolithic, Stone Age, caveman, cavemen