Lesson Summary THE OLMEC Mesoamerica extends from central Mexico to the northern part of Central America. A people called the Olmec developed the first complex civilization in Mesoamerica around 1200 BC. The region is hot and humid with abundant rainfall and rich, fertile soil. The Olmec grew maize, beans, squash, peppers, and avocados. The Olmec built towns which were religious and government centers with temples and plazas. They built the first pyramids in the Americas and made sculptures of huge stone heads. They created one of the first writing systems in the Americas, but no one today knows how to read it. Their influence and culture spread through a large trading network. Olmec civilization ended around 400 BC, but it influenced the Maya.

QUESTION: Why are there no translations of Olmec writing?
in a full sentence