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Late Preclassic texts are rare and amiguous the Classic Maya frequently wrote retrospective tests on their monuments, recounting the names titles and deeds of early kings.

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Monumental art are fundamental and closely related transformations in the Late Preclassic Mesoamerican society. Such monuments became increasingly common after this time, which is one important reason why the Classic period is placed in this time.

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The Late preclassic period saw the first great flowering of a world civilization and what came along with this were calendars and writing(Abrams 1994).

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Some regions of Mesoamerica developed their own ways during this period and remained for centuries participants in the evolving wider tradition of Mesoamerican culture. Tombs for their dead were adorned with weapons, tools and ornate pottery(Scarre 2005)

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Evidence has been found that some early writing systems were being used around this time by the Olmecs(Ancient Mesoamerica 1990

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Archaeologists made a unique finding that was dated back to this time of the colossal stone heads.  They were carved from stone.  The faces all look like those of the inhabitants of the area at that time(Scarre 2005). image credit:http://www.ancient-wisdom.com/mexicostoneheads.htm

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The use of pottery was an excellent marker for when agriculture was invented and it was found that during this time, the first pottery shows up around the coast of what is now Mexico(Scarre 2005).

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The ballgame used by the Mayans had a symbolic significance.  This was a serious game, given that some of the losers lost their lives.  Some games would be purely recreational, while others had political significance(Scarre 2005). image credit:https://www.flickr.com/photos/sangatiche/345773261

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Jeffrey P. Blomster1,*, Hector Neff2, Michael D. Glascock31 Department of Anthropology, George Washington University, Washington, DC 20052, USA.2 Department of Anthropology, California State University, Long Beach, CA 90840, USA.3 Research Reactor Center,, Jeffrey P. Blomster, Hector Neff, Michael D. Glascock, and Science18 Feb 2005 : 1068-1072. "Olmec Pottery Production and Export in Ancient Mexico Determined Through Elemental Analysis." Olmec Pottery Production and Export in Ancient Mexico Determined Through Elemental Analysis | Science. February 18, 2005. Accessed December 12, 2016. http://science.sciencemag.org/content/307/5712/1068.

Scarre, Christopher. The Human Past: World Prehistory & the Development of Human Societies. London: Thames & Hudson, 2005.

Ancient Mesoamerica (Online), 1990.

Abrams, Elliot Marc. How the Maya Built Their World: Energetics and Ancient Architecture. Austin: University of Texas Press, 1994.

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During this time the first complex civilizations were developing in Mesoamerica.  The main civilization was the Olmac, who were spread fairly widely(Blomster 2005

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Mesoamerican population were very small and most people were still hunter-gatherers. They were partially dependent upon some agriculture(Scarre 2005).