Olmec and Zapotec

Olmec and Zapotec

The Olmec people had the first large civilization in the Americas. They lived in Mesoamerica from 1500 to 1200 BC. Mesoamerica is now Mexico and Central America.

Multiple Choice

What is Mesoamerica now?

• China

• Mexico and Central America

• India

Olmecs lived in villages. They grew corn, beans, squash, sweet potatoes, and sunflowers to eat. They also ate fish, turtles and snakes from the nearby rivers.

Multiple Choice

Where did Olmec's live?

• Cities

• villages

• apartments

The Olmec hunted birds, wild pigs, opossum, raccoons, rabbit, and deer. Dog was their main meat.

Multiple Choice

What was the main meat of the Olmec?

• Dog

• Deer

• Bird

Olmecs built temples and pyramids. They made statues of huge heads that are taller than a person. They used a number system, a caldendar, and had a writing system.

Multiple Choice

What did Olmec's build?

• schools

• houses

• temples and pyramids

The Zapotec people made an empire in what is now southern Mexico from about 1500 BC to 1500 AD. They had a hieroglyphic writing system. They guilt large stone temples and ball courts.

Multiple Choice

What did the Zapotec people have?

• Schools

• hieroglyphic writing system

• stores

People lived in stone houses. They tried to get along with other empires. However, the Zapotecs and the nearby Aztecs fought many wars. When the Spanish came to the Americas, they took over the Zapotecs.

Multiple Choice

Who took over the Zapotecs?

• The French

• The English

• The Spanish