San+Lorenzo

San Lorenzo is the oldest site of Olmec civilization. It was a village with stone buildings and pyramids built around 1200 B.C.E. However, due to the Olmec's lack of military development, San Lorenzo was destroyed by invaders in 900 B.C.E. San Lorenzo is located in the lowlands along the Gulf of Mexico. The inhabitants of San Lorenzo were less than one thousand people, mostly farmers and fishermen. The fishermen depended on the flooding of rivers to trap fish in ponds for easier catching. Also, they would eat domesticated turkey and dog meat when the fish became scarce. Many carved artifacts have been found in San Lorenzo, which supports the existence of a class of full time artisans. San Lorenzo possesed one of the earliest know systems for controlling water; many U-shaped cannals have been found in the ruins. San Lorenzo and La Venta were the two main centers of Olmec civilization.
 * [[image:olmec9.jpg align="right" caption="Location of San Lorenzo"]]__San Lorenzo__**

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__Sources__: Information from: Picture from:
 * Textbooks
 * Mandelkow, Brian. "San Lorenzo." __MNSU.edu__. Minnesota State University. 29 Aug. 2008 .
 * Keyser, John D. "Unraveling the Origins of the Mysterious Olmec!" __Hope of Israel__. Hope of Israel Ministries. 2 Sept. 2008 .

Created by: Hampton Webb on 8/29/08