 The <unk> were the first inhabitants of the Americas to construct monumental architecture and to settle in towns and cities . They were also the first people in the Americas to develop a sophisticated style of stone sculpture . In the first decade of the 21st century evidence emerged of <unk> writing , with the earliest examples of <unk> hieroglyphs dating to around 650 BC . Examples of script have been found on roller stamps and stone artefacts ; the texts are short and have been partially <unk> based on their similarity to other <unk> scripts . The evidence of complex society developing in the <unk> <unk> has led to the <unk> being regarded as the " Mother Culture " of <unk> , although this concept remains controversial . 
