Final answer:
The Olmec laid out their cities in alignment with the paths of stars to enhance the authority of their rulers and connect them to supernatural environments.
Step-by-step explanation:
The Olmec laid out their cities in alignment with the paths of stars for various reasons. It is believed that they did this to enhance the authority of their rulers by connecting them to supernatural environments. This practice of aligning cities on a north-south axis was later adopted by other Mesoamerican civilizations like the Maya. While it is difficult to find celestial alignments for most of the geoglyphs, some geoglyphs in the Olmec civilization seem connected to celestial events, such as marking the summer solstice, when mountain waters flow to the coast.