Ritual landscape and waterworks at La Venta (mounds, plazas, and offering pits) (c. 900–400 BCE)

1. La Venta rises as key Olmec center

   Jan 1, 900 BCELabels: La Venta, Olmec

   • Britannica

2. Ceremonial core laid out on north–south axis

   Jan 1, 900 BCELabels: Ceremonial core, Axial plan

   • INAH Lugares
   • Britannica

3. Great Mound (Complex C) constructed

   Jan 1, 800 BCELabels: Great Mound, Pyramid

   • Britannica
   • INAH Lugares

4. North–south plaza formed beside Great Mound

   Jan 1, 800 BCELabels: North south, Great Mound

   • Britannica

5. Complex A begins intensive rebuilding sequence

   Jan 1, 800 BCELabels: Complex A, Architectural phases

   • Oxford AH
   • Wikipedia

6. Basalt-column court encloses Complex A space

   Jan 1, 700 BCELabels: Basalt-column Court, Complex A

   • INAH Lugares

7. Five massive serpentine offerings emplaced

   Jan 1, 700 BCELabels: Serpentine offerings, Subterranean deposits

   • INAH Lugares
   • INAH Lugares

8. Rectangular serpentine mosaics buried as offerings

   Jan 1, 700 BCELabels: Serpentine mosaics, Buried pavements

   • INAH Lugares
   • Wikipedia

9. Formal tombs built within Complex A

   Jan 1, 600 BCELabels: Formal tombs, Complex A

   • Wikipedia
   • INAH Lugares

10. Offering pits and caches proliferate in Complex A

    Jan 1, 600 BCELabels: Offering pits, Caches

    • INAH Lugares
    • Clark Colman

11. La Venta’s major building peak by 400 BCE

    Jan 1, 400 BCELabels: Monumental peak, La Venta

    • INAH Lugares
    • Britannica

12. La Venta declines as regional primacy shifts

    Jan 1, 400 BCELabels: Decline phase, La Venta

    • Britannica