THE OLMECS

1. THE OLMECS The first and the most mysterious

2. Did you know? Almost everyone has heard of the ancient Maya, a mysterious people who lived in Central America in 1500 BC – AD 900 and then suddenly disappeared.

3. Did you know? But the Maya were not the earliest civilization on the American continent. The first great group of people there were the Olmecs (1200 – 400 BC). According to scientists, they started a lot of the ideas that the Maya would take up later.

4. Here are some interesting facts about the Olmecs The Olmecs used hieroglyphs to record dates, events and to tell stories

5. Some interesting facts about the Olmecs The Olmecs left behind many things, but the most noticable were the huge and mysterious Olmec heads. Some of them are over two metres high and weigh up to 40 tonnes.

6. Huge sculptures This is probably an Olmec leader

7. Huge sculptures This is a statue of a monkey Some Olmec heads have jaguar mouths

8. Beliefs A Jaguar Alter The Olmecs believed that the jaguar brought rain. The men would wear masks, dance and sacrifice blood to the jaguar

9. Huge sculptures A young Olmec warrior

10. They were the first They knew how to make medical instruments and experimented with brain surgery.

11. They were the first They were the first people to tap rubber trees for the sap. Then they turned the sap into rubber and used it to make balls.