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Article: The rise of the Olmecs.(pre-Columbian civilization)(Cover Story)
- Article from:
- Calliope
- Article date:
- January 1, 2004
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2004 Carus Publishing Co. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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The Olmecs created the very first civilization in all of ancient America. The two capital cities of San Lorenzo and La Venta sat on ridges overlooking two of the large rivers that wind through the swampy, lowland jungles of southern Mexico near the Gulf of Mexico. We do not know what languages the Olmecs spoke, or what they called themselves, for even though they invented a writing system, they left us no long texts that would provide clues to their identity. We do know they were American Indians whose ancestors had migrated from Siberia into North America at least 10,000 years before San Lorenzo flourished in 1200 B.C.
Almost all the Olmec people were farmers who ...