In the spirit of Neil MacGregor's "A History of the World in 100 Objects," Bob Pateman looks at 10 objects that tell the story of Mexico. The idea is such fun that MND asked contributor Bob Pateman to put together his very own “A History of Mexico in 10 Objects.”. The Olmecs, the Mexican mother culture, thrived in the lowlands of southeastern Mexico between 1500 and 400 B.C.