-
An Ulama stadium was completed in Mexico around this time. The Olmecs (still a part of a different civilization) played here using something known as "rubber latex balls". These balls are apparently what gave the Olmecs their name.
-
The Olmecs started to rise around this period, and would later become very influential to other civilizations.
-
The first trace of the Olmecs’ art was found to be from this century. It was a stone head that they had built in San Lorenzo.
-
Cave paintings were made by the Olmecs, most likely somewhere in this time period. Specifically, 1,200-900 BC.
-
San Lorenzo’s construction and maybe even completion started around this time. This place would become the capital of the Olmecs for 300 years!
-
Ancient structures that are commonly known as "colossal heads" were built all over the place around 1,200-900 BC.
-
The Olmec started widespread trading with other groups of people in the 1100s (BC). This allowed their culture to spread throughout the Americas.
-
Olmec artifacts from this time could be found in Mayan villages. This is one of the clear signs that they were very influential to other cultures.
-
In Cazcajal, a piece of stone with Olmec writing on it was created. This first trace of Olmec writing would later be discovered in the 1800s.
-
In this century, San Lorenzo was destroyed. This ruined many artifacts and monuments. This could have been an invasion, it’s unknown. Because of this, La Venta became the new capital.
-
Around this time, the Olmecs started to use Jade in their artifacts.
-
Sometime in this century, the Olmecs would start building pyramids around their cities.
-
The capital of the Olmecs, La Venta, was destroyed
-
The Olmec civilization started to quickly become extinct around this time. The reason for this is unknown.
