The Maya

  • Mayapan becomes the govement
    250

    Mayapan becomes the govement

    Hunac Ceel becomes king and makes Mayapan his capital. He conquers his rivals and starts the Cocom dynasty, who rule the Yucatan for about 250 years.
  • Maya Calendar
    290

    Maya Calendar

    The Maya are known for keeping accurate calendars. They have three of them-a solar, divine, and astronomical calendar.
  • Cities start devloping
    291

    Cities start devloping

    Tikal, El Mirador, and other communities in the southern lowland region begin to develop.
  • The Temples begin
    292

    The Temples begin

    Originally a simple village with thatch huts, Cerros, along the Belize coast, starts building a pyramid temple. It is two-tiered with a temple of three rooms at the top.
  • Maya booms
    292

    Maya booms

    The Maya use stelae carvings to write the histories of their rulers. The earliest known stela is at Tikal, dated from AD 292. Scroll Ahau Jaguar is ruler around this time. Cities now have temples overlooking main plazas.
  • First Royal begins
    297

    First Royal begins

    Yax Moch Xoc becomes the first king of Tikal. All Maya cities have independent states with their own rulers.
  • Peroid chassic
    298

    Peroid chassic

    The Maya villages grow into large cities with temples, palaces, and roads. There are now nobles and priests, as well as farmers. A middle class forms with traders, artisans, and officials. Astronomy, writing, and calendars are perfected.
  • Period Preclassic
    299

    Period Preclassic

    The Maya civilization is divided into three distinct periods. The first is the Preclassic Period where the people live in simple houses in family communities that are surrounded by farmland.
  • Copan
    Apr 18, 630

    Copan

    .Copan in southern Guatemala starts developing. King Yax-Kuk-Mo oversees the city's first major temple. Smoke-Jaguar begins ruling in AD 630. His 67-year reign ushers in a large period of growth.
  • Maya Mysterious
    Apr 18, 822

    Maya Mysterious

    The people of Copan leave in AD 822
  • in 869
    Apr 20, 869

    in 869

    Tikal does the same in AD 869. No one knows exactly why the cities in the southern lowlands start to decline. No more writings are found which could mean problems in the religious and ruling classes.