What is Olmec?
[[File:Olmec Heartland Overview v2.svg|right|thumb|300px|The Olmec heartland]]The '''Olmecs''' were a group of people who lived about 3000 years ago in what is today south-central [[Mexico]]. The Olmec were the first [[civilization]] in the ancient area known as [[Mesoamerica]]. Because they were the first civilization, many later Mesoamerican civilizations used and repeated Olmec features and characteristics. The Olmec people discovered and made use of many natural resources in the area, including [[rubber]] and [[corn]]. Dozens of mysterious stone heads were discovered in the Olmec territory as well; archaeologists are still not sure what their purposes were. ==Overview== The Olmecs lived from 1200 [[BC]] to about 400 BC. They had two important cities, first [[San Lorenzo Tenochtitlan]] and then [[La Venta]]. The Olmecs were able to thrive due to the fertile land around the [[Coatzacoalcos]] river basin. The reason for the fall of the Olmec empire is unknown. They developed many different cultures. == Art == The Olmecs created a range of artwork such as [[altar]]s, [[jade]] [[mask]]s and stone carvings. === Colossal heads === The Olmec colossal heads are the most recognized symbol of the Olmec civilization. The height and weights of the heads vary, but the largest head is about twice the height of an average human male. They include seventeen heads found in the southern Mexican cities of La Venta, San Lorenzo Tenochtitlan, [[Tres Zapotes]], and [[Rancho la Cobata]]. Each [[head]] shows a unique facial expression and wears a [[helmet]] bearing distinctive decorations. No two are alike. The origins and meaning of the heads are mysterious, and they are the subject of much speculation among scholars and archaeologists. Scholars have tried to explain how the Olmecs might have made and moved such big objects. The heads were sculpted out of a hard, dense rock called basalt. Archaeologists think the Olmecs found most of the basalt in the [[Tuxtlas Mountain range]]. According to this theory, the basalt heads wer