Mayan Civilization Timeline

Archaic Period | 7000 - 2000 BCE

7000 BCE

During this time period is when the hunter-gatherer culture began in Mesoamerica, as well as when the Mayan civilization starts to begin as a culture. They also began the cultivation of crops such as maize and beans. They also began domesticating animals such as turkeys and dogs. The earliest and first Mayan villages were established during this time, as well as sacred temples for their various Gods.

Olmec Period | 1500-200 BCE

1500 BCE

This era is regarded as the Pre-Classic era, or the Formative Period, when the Olmecs, the oldest known culture in Mesoamerica, thrived. The Olmecs had settled near the Gulf of Mexico, building great cities out of stone and brick.

Olmec Culture

1500 BCE

The Olmec people are the predecessors of the Mayans, though nobody is quite sure were the Olmec came from, or where they went. Their ancient ruins were so large, an idea started that giants had populated the area. The Olmec are also the possible origin to Shamanic religious practices. They also had a sophisticated skill in sculpture.

Zapotec Period 600 BCE - 800 CE

600 BCE

In a region surrounding modern-day Oaxaca, Mexico, the cultural center now known as the Monte Alban was founded and became the capital for the Zapotec Kingdom. The Zapotec were influenced heavily by the Olmec, which led to some of the most important cultural elements of the region being disseminated, such as writing, mathematics, astronomy, and the development of the calendar (which the Maya would all refine.)

Teotihuacan Period | 200-900 CE

200

During this era, the great city of Teotihuacan grew from a tiny village in Maya, to a metropolis of enormous size and influence. When its rival city was destroyed by a volcano, they became dominant in the region. Archaeological evidence suggested that Teotihuacan was an important religious center, devoted to the worship of the Great Mother Goddess and her consort the Plumed Serpent, Kukulkan was the most popular deity among the Maya. However, Teotihuacan was abandoned around 900CE.

El Tajin Period | 250-900

250

This period is also known as the Classic Period in Mesoamerican and Mayan history. During this time, great urban centers began to rise across the land, leading the Maya to number in millions. It is unclear as to who inhabited the El Tajin remains, as there was over 50 different ethnic groups, however the Maya and Totonac are regarded as the most dominant.

Tikal

500

The Mayan city of Tikal becomes the first great Maya city, citizens from Teotihuacan began migrating to Tikal. they introduced new ideas, which involved weaponry, holding captives, ritual practices and human sacrifice.

Fall of Teotihuacan

600

An unknown event leaves the civilization of Teotihuacan destroyed, as well as the empire it had supported. This lead to Tikal becoming the largest city-state in Mesoamerica, with as many as 500,000 inhabitants.

Maya Trade

751

Long-standing Mayan alliances start to break-down and crumble. The trading between the Mayan city-states declines, and inner-state conflicts begin to increase.

Classic Maya Period | 250-950 CE

950

This era saw the consolidation of power in the great cities of the Yucatec Maya, such as Chichen Itza and Uxmal. Cultural influences from the Olmec and Zapotec emerged, as well as cultural values from the Teotihuacan and El Tajin. This period is the height of Mayan Civilization in which they perfected mathematics, architecture, astronomy, visual arts, and the refinement of the calendar. The city states of the Mayan Civilization stretched from Piste, Mexico to modern-day Honduras.

Gonzalo Guerrero | 1511

1511

A spainard by the name of Gonzalo Guerrero had found himself shipwrecked on the shore of Yucatan. He had become friendly with the Maya, tattooing his face, piercing his ears and thus marrying into a noble family in the Maya civilization. Gurrero became an enemy to the Spanish and did his part to help resist the Spanish rule and conquest of Yucatan

Spain Invades Yucatan | 1517

1517

Under the guidance of Hernandez de Cordoba, the Spanish arrive on the shores of Yucatan. Cordoba would die later due to wounds received in battle against the Maya, but the diseases his people brought over would make irreversible changes. The arrival of the Spanish brought over Old World diseases such as smallpox, influenza, and measles. Within a century, 90% of Mesoamerica's native population had died off completely.

Hernan Cortes | 1519-1524

1519

Hernan Cortes, another spainard, begins exploring Yucatan. Here, he meets the Itza people in 1524, the only Maya people left unconquered by the Spanish peoples. The Spanish leave the Itza alone until the 17th century.

Post-Classic Period | 950-1524 CE

1524

By the year 1524, most of the great cities of Maya were left abandoned. There has never been a definite explanation for the result of the decline and abandonment of the cities, experts suggest climate change and overpopulation. The Toltecs, a new tribe, repopulated the vacant area.

Battle of Utalan, End of Maya | 1524

1524

The traditional date for the end of the Mayan Civilization, is 1524 CE. In this year, the very last Maya resistance is destroyed by the conquistador Alvarado.