Ancient World
Tlatilco Culture: Village Figurines of the Valley of Mexico
Tlatilco's burials and figurines became a key source for early village society in central Mexico and its early contacts with the Olmec world.
Region
Americas
Ancient World
Chavín de Huántar: The Andean Temple of the Lanzón Oracle
Chavín de Huántar became the leading religious centre of the central Andes and gave its name to the first widespread art style in Peru; a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1985.
Ancient World
Olmec Colossal Heads: The Giant Stone Portraits of San Lorenzo
Seventeen colossal heads are known; they are the best-known symbols of Olmec civilisation and among the most remarkable sculptures of the ancient Americas.
Ancient World
Cascajal Block: The Earliest Known Writing in the Americas?
The block is widely regarded as a possible early Olmec writing system, but it remains undeciphered and its date and status are still debated.
Ancient World
La Venta: The Olmec Ceremonial Centre of Tabasco
La Venta became the leading Olmec centre after San Lorenzo and left monuments that define Olmec art; it declined around 400 BC.
Ancient World
Paracas Culture: Necropolis Burials and Textiles of Ancient Peru
Paracas weaving and burial traditions passed into the Nasca culture, and the necropolis textiles became some of the most admired ancient fabrics in the world.
Ancient World
Tikal: Rise of the Great Maya City in the Guatemalan Jungle
Tikal became one of the largest and most powerful cities of the Classic Maya world before declining in the 9th century AD.
Ancient World
El Mirador: The Lost Preclassic Maya Metropolis of Petén
El Mirador was largely abandoned around AD 150, centuries before the Classic Maya cities reached their height.
Ancient World
Adena Culture: Early Mound Builders of the Ohio River Valley
The Adena established the tradition of large burial mounds and earthworks in eastern North America, later developed by the Hopewell.
Ancient World
Monte Albán: Founding of the Zapotec Capital of Oaxaca
A new hilltop capital united the Valley of Oaxaca and became the centre of Zapotec civilisation for more than a thousand years.
Ancient World
Nazca Lines: The Giant Desert Geoglyphs of Southern Peru
Hundreds of geoglyphs survive in the desert, protected since 1994 as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and still being discovered today.
Ancient World
Kaminaljuyu: The Highland Maya City Beneath Guatemala City
Kaminaljuyu became the dominant city of the southern Maya highlands and a key centre for early Maya writing, art and trade.