Earliest American - The Olmecs

Where did the Olmec people settle?

• The Olmecs settled in what is now Canada

• The Olmecs settled in parts of Mexico and Central America.

• The Olmec settled on the northwestern part of South America

in 1500 B.C., the Olmecs settled near what areas that are now part of Mexico?

• In 1500 B.C., the Olmecs settled near what is now Vera Cruz and Tabasco.

• In 1500 B.C., the Olmecs settled near what is now Bogota, Colombia.

• In 1500 B.C., the Olmecs settled near the Mississippi River which is near what is today called Louisiana.

Like most early civilizations, the Olmecs lived near:

• Near dry desert land

• Near coastal rivers

• Oceans and seas

How did the Olmecs get their food?

• The Olmec food came from hunting, fishing, and farming

• The Olmecs went to the nearby Walmart store to purchase their food

• The Olmecs ate mostly insects and seaweed

What types of crops did the Olmecs grow on their farms?

• The Olmecs didn't farm so they only hunted and fished

• The Olmecs grew beets, turnips, and onions

• The Olmecs grew beans, squash and maize

What type of farming helped the Olmecs to have a variety of plants?

• The Olmecs had vast farming areas and were able to grow one type of plant on each farm

• The Olmecs planted many crops together so it was called "intercropping"

• The Olmecs didn't farm - they only hunted and fished

Much like the Egyptians, the Olmecs depended on what for water?

• The Olmecs didn't need a lot of water because they didn't farm

• The Olmecs dug many canals for their water

• The Olmecs depended on floods for their water

True or False: The Olmecs created a calendar to predict floods.

• True

• False

For religion, the Olmecs had many gods. But who was their most important god?

• The Jaguar

• The Lion

• The Bear

To protect their cities, what did the Olmecs create?

• Very large heads carved from stone.

• Very tiny heads carved from stone

• They built ziggurats like the people of Mesopotamia