Olmec's Cities
San Lorenzo: Their First Major City
San Lorenzo was first occupied around 1500 B.C.E, making it one of the oldest sites in the Americas.The city was a very important center of Olmec's commerce, religion and political power during its time.The most important section of the city is on the ridge, where the high class people live (priests and nobility). The western side of the ridge is known as the “royal compound,” as it was home to the ruling class.
San Lorenzo seems to have been largely a ceremonial site and a town without city walls, Centered in the middle of a medium-to-large agricultural population, the ceremonial center and attendant buildings housed more than 5,500 inhabitants in the area.
San Lorenzo seems to have been largely a ceremonial site and a town without city walls, Centered in the middle of a medium-to-large agricultural population, the ceremonial center and attendant buildings housed more than 5,500 inhabitants in the area.
La Venta
The city of La Venta built from earth and clay unlike the other cities. The city is the center for ceremonial of the Olmecs. As a ceremonial center, La Venta contains an elaborate series of buried offerings and tombs, as well as monumental sculptures. Inside the city, it is dominated by a restricted sacred areas (complex A), the "Great Pyramid" (complex C), and a huge plaza at the south.
Chavin's Cities
The location of the Chavin cult is known as Chavin de Huantar. The buildings found here were central to the civilization and prove the Chavin to be intricate planners and builders. With it being located in the midst of modern-day Peru's mountains, it was quite advanced for the isolation and physical barriers it was faced with. The site is so impressive that it is currently been established as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The center of this "city" are the religious sites they created- The Old and New Temples.