Claim: During the Early Classic (AD 200–600) Olmec, who were the first major civilization in Mexico, settled in Tak'alik Ab'aj, and during the Late Classic (AD 600–900)  Early Maya, whose empire centered in the tropical lowlands of Guatemala, replaced them.
Evidence: The Olmec civilization developed and flourished at such sites as La Venta and San Lorenzo Tenochtitlán, eventually succeeded by the Epi-Olmec culture between 300–250 BCE.