The Olmec civilization rose in Mesoamerica beginning around 1500 BCE, and collapsed sometime about 300 BCE. The civilization dev
eloped important social and economic advancements that would be featured in the civilizations that followed. They created the region’s first irrigation systems, first cities, first religion, first pyramids, and the first system of writing. Experts know very little about the Olmec, but they do know they were prosperous, thanks to their exploitation of the fertile lands near the Gulf of Mexico. They created a highly developed agricultural system, growing crops such as corn and beans, and their environment provided other important food supplies, such as edible plants, palm nuts, fish, turtles, and clams. As a result, they were able to gather a food surplus, enabling them to construct permanent settlements. By 1200 BCE, the largest, San Lorenzo, was an important center of trade. Obsidian, jade, rubber, pottery, feathers, and polished mirrors made of magnetite were important trade goods. They were also known for their cultivation of rubber; in fact, the name “Olmec” means rubber people. Which characteristics are evidence of the Olmec civilization’s advanced agricultural system? Check all that apply. irrigation growing crops industrial machinery permanent settlements food surpluses chemical fertilizers
