Throughout our history, most
civilizations
have either met a slow demise or were wiped out by natural
disasters or
invasion. But there are a few
societies whose disappearance has scholars truly stumped:
10. The Olmec
One of the first Mesoamerican societies, the
Olmec inhabited the tropical lowlands of south-central
Mexico
. The first signs of the
Olmec are around 1400 BC in the city of San Lorenzo, the main
Olmec settlement which was supported by two other centers, Tenochtitlan and Potrero Nuevo.
The Olmec were master builders with each of the major sites containing ceremonial courts, house mounds, large conical pyramids and stone monuments including the colossal head that they are most known for.
The Olmec civilization relied heavily on trade, both between different
Olmec regions and with other Mesoamerican societies. Because they were one of the earliest and most advanced Mesoamerican cultures at the time, they are often considered the mother culture of many other Mesoamerican cultures.