Mexico has a long history, from the Olmecs c. 2000BC to the Aztecs around AD1500. The region has a varied geography and groups with varying cultures arose in different areas.  On the West Coast, the Colima, Jalisco and Nayarit buried their dead in deep shaft tombs with their ceramics watching over them. Veracruz and Huastec cultures followed, with both ceramic and stone sculptures.   From AD300, the Maya culture started to flourish in the lowlands crossing over into Guatemala.  The Mayan had a calendar, written language and a priestly sect.  They were excellent ceramicists and stone carvers.  They even invented stucco.  They built great cities with pyramids and it is believed that they disappeared because their fighting upset the agriculture which supported them. The Aztec were a bellicose group, subjugating the tribes around them to help build the great pyramids. The conquistadores were able to defeat them because they had the support of the neighboring tribes.