# The great pre-Columbian civilisations

From the Olmecs, the "mother culture" of Mesoamerica, to the Inca Empire, the largest in pre-Columbian America: the peoples who built pyramids, cities and calendars before 1492. Which one fascinates you most?

- 20 votes · 12 items
- Mar 8, 2024 · xavier_archivist
- https://even.best/en/l/2718/the-great-pre-columbian-civilisations

## Top 12

1. **Maya** (3 · ▲3 ▼0) — Writing, astronomy and calendars; cities like Chichén Itzá.
2. **Olmecs** (2 · ▲2 ▼0) — The "mother culture" of Mesoamerica, with its colossal heads.
3. **Toltecs** (2 · ▲2 ▼0) — From Tula they ruled central Mexico and inspired the Aztecs.
4. **Caribs** (2 · ▲2 ▼0) — Seafarers of the Lesser Antilles.
5. **Zapotecs** (1 · ▲2 ▼1) — They founded Monte Albán in the valleys of Oaxaca.
6. **Aztecs (Mexica)** (1 · ▲1 ▼0) — An empire with its capital Tenochtitlan built on a lake.
7. **Incas** (1 · ▲1 ▼0) — The largest empire of pre-Columbian America, with its capital at Cuzco.
8. **Mixtecs** (1 · ▲1 ▼0) — Master goldsmiths and authors of pictographic codices.
9. **Taíno** (1 · ▲1 ▼0) — The Caribbean peoples Columbus encountered.
10. **Teotihuacan** (0 · ▲1 ▼1) — The great city of the Pyramids of the Sun and the Moon.
11. **Tiwanaku** (0 · ▲1 ▼1) — The monumental civilisation of Lake Titicaca.
12. **Moche** (0 · ▲0 ▼0) — Some of the finest ceramics of the ancient world and great metalwork.

How is this ranking ordered? By people's votes: each ▲ adds a point and each ▼ takes one away. Anyone can vote and add what is missing.