San Lorenzo: Earliest City in Mesoamerica Flourished 1300-1000 BCE. Earliest known city in the Americas north of the Andes Occupation evidence from 1750 BCE, flourished 1300-1000 BCE (contemporary with Egyptian New Kingdom) Size reached approximately 1,200 acres (500 hectares)
San Lorenzo Tenochtitlán in Veracruz was the earliest known Olmec city north of the Andes, flourishing 1400-900 BCE alongside the later period of Egypt's New Kingdom. This major Olmec center featured a massive artificial plateau rising 160 feet above the alluvial plains, sophisticated basalt drainage systems, and elite complex constructions significantly larger than any contemporary Mesoamerican structure.
Key Facts
- Earliest known city in the Americas north of the Andes
- Occupation evidence from 1750 BCE, flourished 1300-1000 BCE (contemporary with Egyptian New Kingdom)
- Size reached approximately 1,200 acres (500 hectares)
- Features a massive artificial plateau rising 160 ft (49 m) above the surrounding alluvial plains
- Sophisticated basalt drainage systems carved from basalt
- Site museum contains 10 colossal basalt heads and 124 documented sculptures total
- Red Palace elite residential complex was three times larger than any contemporary Mesoamerican structure
- Declined around 1000 BCE, abandoned around 850 BCE
- Many monuments were deliberately mutilated and buried during decline
- Located in Veracruz Mexico
Related site: San Lorenzo Tenochtitlán Museum — view location, images, and history on the Ancient Nerds map.
Source: The OLMECS: Everything You Need to Know by World of Antiquity