After viewing the uploaded documentary, "The Olmec Legacy" please write and submit an introspective reflection using your own words, thoughts and ideas about the historical significance of the ancient Olmec civilization. considered the "Mother Culture" of Mesoamerica.  

 

"The Olmec Legacy" - Historical significance of the ancient Olmec civilization

The Olmec culture is well-reputed as being the mother of all American foundations. It laid a foundation upon which all other subsequent cultures built variations of the same kind.  It is hard to imagine that corn was once a wild grain growing on a tiny piece of cob when one walks into a Walmart stores in modern America. However, ancient Civilizations like Olmec managed to domesticate it and breed better versions of food. As a result, they built a diversity of palatable food options we enjoy today without imagining how fast it came to be. Olmec was exceptionally good at domesticating food; they developed ways to improve the variety of corn they bred. This is seen in how they treated the corn with lime and ash to provide vitamin C and prevent congenital disabilities such as pellagra. Therefore, basic human instincts are to survive and thrive. Looking back into these ancient cultures, we only can see brilliance expressed in the simplest forms. If only the Portuguese had learned a bit from the Olmec, they would never have encountered pellagra.