History of the Maya civilization

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Maya civilization
Drawing of a Mayan stone carving with elaborate decoration.
History
Spanish conquest of the Maya

The history of Maya civilization is divided into three principal periods: the Preclassic, Classic and Postclassic periods;[1] these were preceded by the Archaic Period, which saw the first settled villages and early developments in agriculture.[2] Modern scholars regard these periods as arbitrary divisions of chronology of the Maya civilization, rather than indicative of cultural evolution or decadence.[3] Definitions of the start and end dates of period spans can vary by as much as a century, depending on the author.[4] The Preclassic lasted from approximately 3000 BC to approximately 250 AD; this was followed by the Classic, from 250 AD to roughly 950 AD, then by the Postclassic, from 950 AD to the middle of the 16th century.[5] Each period is further subdivided:

Maya chronology[5]
Period Division Dates
Archaic 8000–2000 BC[6]
Preclassic Early Preclassic 2000–1000 BC
Middle Preclassic Early Middle Preclassic 1000–600 BC
Late Middle Preclassic 600–350 BC
Late Preclassic Early Late Preclassic 350–1 BC
Late Late Preclassic 1 BC – AD 159
Terminal Preclassic AD 159–250
Classic Early Classic AD 250–550
Late Classic AD 550–830
Terminal Classic AD 830–950
Postclassic Early Postclassic AD 950–1200
Late Postclassic AD 1200–1539
Contact period AD 1511–1697[7]
  1. ^ Estrada-Belli 2011, pp. 1, 3.
  2. ^ Sharer and Traxler 2006, p. 98. Estrada-Belli 2011, p. 38.
  3. ^ Estrada-Belli 2011, p. 1.
  4. ^ Demarest 2004, p. 17.
  5. ^ a b Estrada-Belli 2011, p. 3.
  6. ^ Sharer and Traxler 2006, p. 98.
  7. ^ Masson 2012, p. 18238. Pugh and Cecil 2012, p. 315.