Ancient history

Why do we know more about the Aztec than olmecs?

The Aztec were the last of the great Mesoamerican civilizations, and they were conquered by the Spanish in the 16th century. As such, there are many written records and artifacts from the Aztec civilization, which has allowed us to learn a great deal about their history and culture.

In contrast, the Olmec civilization flourished much earlier, from about 1200 to 400 BC. They were the first major civilization in Mesoamerica, and they built some of the largest and most impressive monuments of the region. However, the Olmec did not have a written language, and so we have very little information about their history and culture.

Archaeologists have been studying the Olmec civilization for over a century, and they have made great progress in understanding their culture. However, there is still much that we do not know about the Olmec, and we may never know everything about them.