ANCIENT OLMEC ENGINEERING OF ANCESTOR CIVILIZATIONS
The\xa0Olmecs\xa0(/\u02c8\u0252lm\u025bks,\xa0\u02c8o\u028al-/) were the earliest known major\xa0civilization\xa0in\xa0Mesoamerica\xa0following a progressive development in\xa0Soconusco. They lived in the tropical lowlands of south-central Mexico, in the present-day states of\xa0Veracruz\xa0and\xa0Tabasco. It has been speculated that the Olmecs derive in part from neighboring\xa0Mokaya\xa0or\xa0Mixe\u2013Zoque.\nThe Olmecs flourished during\xa0Mesoamerica's\xa0formative period, dating roughly from as early as 1500\xa0BCE\xa0to about 400\xa0BCE. Pre-Olmec cultures had flourished since about 2500\xa0BCE, but by 1600\u20131500\xa0BCE, early Olmec culture had emerged, centered on the\xa0San Lorenzo Tenochtitl\xe1n\xa0site near the coast in southeast Veracruz.[1]\xa0They were the first Mesoamerican civilization, and laid many of the foundations for the civilizations that followed.[2]\xa0Among other "firsts", the Olmec appeared to practice\xa0ritual bloodletting\xa0and played the\xa0Mesoamerican ballgame, hallmarks of nearly all subsequent Mesoamerican societies. The aspect of the Olmecs most familiar now is their artwork, particularly the aptly named "colossal heads".[3]\xa0The Olmec civilization was first defined through artifacts which collectors purchased on the\xa0pre-Columbian art\xa0market in the late 19th century and early 20th century. Olmec artworks are considered among ancient America's most striking.