What is San Lorenzo Tenochtitlan?
'''San Lorenzo Tenochtitlan''' started out as an agricultural and population center for the [[Olmec]] [[civilization]], which inhabited a region of what is today southeastern [[Mexico]]. The Olmecs emerged as early as 1500&nbsp;[[BC]] as the earliest complex society in the [[Americas]]. San Lorenzo is best known as the first city established in the Americas. The main reason San Lorenzo flourished at such an early period is its location within the Coatzacoalcos [[flood plain]], which provided fertile land for [[farming]]. Thus, the settlement of San Lorenzo follows the [[pattern]] of settlement of the world’s very first [[urban]] centers, which emerged in the fertile river valleys of [[Mesopotamia]]. Because of the high farming value of the surrounding land, San Lorenzo ranked as the Olmecs’ most populous settlement from 1200-900&nbsp;BC. During that period, San Lorenzo had the biggest trade market in all of the Olmec Heartland. For unknown reasons, many people migrated out of San Lorenzo in 800&nbsp;BC to the nearby city of La Venta. However, San Lorenzo was repopulated in 600&nbsp;BC, when it became a center for Olmec [[ritual sacrifice]]s until the population faded away in 400&nbsp;BC along with the Olmec civilization. Today, San Lorenzo remains a significant [[archaeological site]] because the artifacts found there–including the famous Colossal Heads and [[jade]] masks–shed some light on Olmec culture and its profound influence on later Mesoamerican civilizations, such as the [[Aztec]] and [[Maya civilization|Maya]]. [[Category:Settlements in Mexico]]