![[Pasted image 20250201163401.png]] Flourishing along the Gulf Coast of Mexico from about 1200 to about 400 BCE, the Olmec produced sophisticated works of art, architecture, pottery, and sculpture. They built aqueducts to transport water into their cities and irrigate their fields. They grew maize, squash, beans, and tomatoes, and bred small domesticated dogs which, along with fish, provided their protein. Although no one knows exactly what happened to the [[Olmec]] after about 400 BCE, their culture was the base upon which both the Maya and the Aztec built. The Olmec also developed a system of trade throughout Mesoamerica, giving rise to a wealthy merchant class. --- Next: [[1.6 Teotihuacan]] Back: [[1.4 Written Language]]