Answer:
Mesoamerica is the geographic area
stretching from north of Panama up to the
desert of central Mexico. Although marked
by great topographic, linguistic, and cultural
diversity, this region cradled a number of
civilizations with similar characteristics.
Mesoamericans were polytheistic; their
gods possessed both male and female
traits and demanded blood sacrifices of
enemies taken in battle or ritual
bloodletting. Corn, or maize, domesticated
by 5000 BCE, formed the basis of their diet.
They developed a mathematical system,
built huge edifices, and devised a calendar
that accurately predicted eclipses and
solstices and that priest-astronomers used
to direct the planting and harvesting of
crops. Most important for our knowledge of
these peoples, they created the only known
written language in the Western
Hemisphere; researchers have made much
progress in interpreting the inscriptions on
their temples and pyramids. Though the
area had no overarching political structure,
trade over long distances helped diffuse
culture. Weapons made of obsidian, jewelry
crafted from jade, feathers woven into
clothing and ornaments, and cacao beans
that were whipped into a chocolate drink
formed the basis of commerce. The mother
of Mesoamerican cultures was the Olmec
civilization.
Flourishing along the hot Gulf Coast of Mexico from about 1200 to about 400 BCE, the Olmec produced a number
of major works of art, architecture, pottery, and sculpture. Most recognizable are their giant head sculptures and
the pyramid in La Venta. The Olmec built aqueducts to transport water into their cities and irrigate their fields.
They grew maize, squash, beans, and tomatoes. They also bred small domesticated dogs which, along with fish,
provided their protein. Although no one knows what happened to the Olmec after about 400 BCE, in part because
the jungle reclaimed many of their cities, their culture was the base upon which the Maya and the Aztec built. It
was the Olmec who worshipped a rain god, a maize god, and the feathered serpent so important in the future
pantheons of the Aztecs (who called him Quetzalcoatl) and the Maya (to whom he was Kukulkan). The Olmec
also developed a system of trade throughout Mesoamerica, giving rise to an elite class
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