The civilizations in the Americas before the arrival of Christopher Columbus are generally termed as Pre-Columbian civilizations.
Prominent among them were Mesoamerican civilizations and Andean civilizations. The Mesoamerican Civilizations were developed mainly in North and Central America, while Andean civilizations in South America.
Many prominent civilizations come under the common term Mesoamerican civilizations. One such civilization was the Olmec civilization which flourished from 1500 BC to 400 BC. This was the first major civilization to arise in Mexico and Central America.
It is generally considered as the forerunner of all Mesoamerican civilizations like, the Mayan and Aztec.
The Olmecs thrived due to the fertile land around the Coatzacoalcos River basin.
The Olmecs were the first people in the Mesoamerica to develop a writing system. They learned to convert the latex of the rubber tree into something that could be shaped, cured, and hardened.
They were extremely talented sculptors, best known for their massive colossal stone heads.
The Olmecs raised great cities such as San Lorenzo and La Venta.
