‘ which roughly corresponds to the location of modern-day Central ‘America and southern Mexico, the first significant society in the Americas emerged around 1200 8CE and flourished for centuries before eventually declining 4 little more than half a millennium later. The Olmec culture was centered on San Lorenzo, the site of the modern city of Veracruz, and the new settlers established their homes in the tropical lowlands inland from the Gulf of Mexico. This is in sharp ancient civilizations of Europe and Asia, which formed along major rv debatable whether the Olmecs originated from the north and accesse’ area via the Gulf as a few researchers have hypothesized or from ical record. = In Mesoamerica, Jena, which seems apparent from the arch = In either case, by sround 900 BCE, the Olmec culture w: ff Olmec traits occurred across a broad area. It is evident that t enlarged their domain in the direction of the Pacific coast, and lo sculptures; it seems that they spread their culture by way of reli include ritualistic masks made of jacie and fashioned in the for js believed that priests wore these masks in ceremonial perform themselves into the sacred feline and to demonsirate forces. Evidence for this assertion comes from the discovery of ti J earthen mounds. orn as well ‘ceremonial centers with temples on F made small figures depicting gods of fire, rain, and c deity, all of which became common theological symbols in th: e reg > Another important characteristic of the Olmec people was their s! ynework, which is evident in the building of a pyramid thai well as in the sculpting of gigantic heads, somewhat reminis: of Easter island. Presumably, the rest of the body was ignore lief in Mesoamerica that only the head contained the of the heads have been discovered so far, and the largest approach 3 5 meters in circumference, and 8 tons in weight. They were sculpt ‘sto! arved exclusively with stone tools, the amount of labor ‘monuments must have been extraordinary. Therefore, the individuals,