Mesoamerican chronology

The chronology of pre-Columbian Mesoamerica is usually divided into the following epochs:

In the early Paleoindian period, the first settlement of the Mesoamerican cultural area by humans took place. During this time, people lived mainly as hunters and gatherers.

In the Archaic period, the first forms of agriculture were developed. Permanent settlement in villages occurred for the first time during this period; towards the end of this period, the use of pottery and simple looms also appeared (cf. Mokaya culture).

The Preclassic (also known as the Formative Period) marks the beginning of the formation of larger city-states and the first large-scale ceremonial architecture. Characteristic of this is the development of villages into cities, which in turn exercised regional power and influence. With the Olmecs, the first Mesoamerican civilization developed at this time on the coast of the Gulf of Mexico; it probably influenced sites in the central highlands (cf. Tlatilco culture) as well as in the south of the country (cf. Izapa). Zapotec and Maya were also in an early phase of urban development.

During the Classic Period, the central Mexican city of Teotihuacán grew into a metropolis; its empire dominated much of Mesoamerica. The Classic was also the most important period of Maya culture. The end of the Classic period in Mesoamerica coincides with the fall of Teotihuacán in the 7th century. In the wake of this, many of the sites in the southern lowlands (especially Tikal) also experienced a short-lived decline, which scholars refer to as the Classic Hiatus. The Late Classic period, which was characterized by continued Maya development, is sometimes referred to as the Golden Age. In the early 20th century, this period was sometimes referred to as the "Old Kingdom" by analogy with Ancient Egypt; this term is now considered inaccurate and has therefore not been used by archaeologists and researchers for several decades.

During the Postclassic period, the center of power gradually shifted from the Yucatán Peninsula toward central Mexico. The Toltecs briefly controlled central Mexico from the 11th to the 13th century; thereafter, their empire crumbled under the onslaught of some tribes from northern Mexico. The resulting power vacuum was filled by the Aztec empire from the early 14th century until the Spanish conquest. In northern Yucatán, there was also an invasion by groups from central Mexico in the early 11th century, shortly after the Toltec empire had fallen. The fusion of indigenous Maya culture with that of the conquerors subsequently helped the cities of the northern lowlands to a rise that was only ended by the arrival of the Spanish. The late Maya heyday in the north was sometimes referred to in the early 20th century as the "New Kingdom" - a term that no longer seems appropriate due to new findings and is thus no longer used.

Timeline

In Mesoamerica, a classification into epochs is used for the classification of cultural phenomena, the exact chronological classification of which varies considerably. An important reason for this is that striking cultural upheavals in the various regions of Mesoamerica do not occur simultaneously. This becomes particularly clear for the end of the Classic Period, which is set earlier in central Mexico than in the area of the Maya culture, which is why there is also spoken of an End Classic Period.

Epoch	Time	Event
Early days
	ca. 20.000 - 10.000 B.C.	human settlement of Mesoamerica
	ca. 10.000 - 7000 B.C.	Oldest dating of archaeological finds in central Mexico (Tlapacoya) and on the Yucatán Peninsula
	ca. 8000 BC	Dating of the finds from Los Tapiales (earliest finds in Guatemala)
Archaic period
	ca. 7000 BC	first attempts at agriculture
	ca. 5000 B.C.	first domestication of maize as a cultivated plant
	ca. 3000-2500 BC	Establishment of permanently inhabited villages; development of pottery and weaving
	ca. 2500 B.C.	The ancestors of the Maya appear in Guatemala and mix with the indigenous population there.
Preclassic
Early Preclassic	1500 - 700 BC
	ca. 1500 B.C.	Corn cultivation becomes livelihood for Mesoamerican peoples; use of obsidian for tools. The Mokaya culture is currently considered the oldest socially differentiated culture in Mesoamerica.
	ca. 1500-1200 BC	Ocos ceramics on the Pacific coast
	ca. 1200 BC	Beginning of the rise of the Olmec culture; Tlatilco culture in central Mexico
	ca. 850 BC	first processing of gold; first temple pyramids in La Venta and Tres Zapotes
Middle Preclassic	700 - 300 BC
	ca. 600 B.C.	Beginning of the Zapotec culture of Monte Albán and the Chupícuaro culture in central Mexico
	ca. 500 B.C.	The destruction of La Venta leads to the downfall of the Olmec culture
Late Preclassic	300 B.C. - 200 A.D.
	ca. 400 - 150 BC	Izapa culture on the Mexican Pacific coast
	ca. 125 B.C.	first datable stelae in the Maya area
	36 BC	earliest date recorded in the Long Count and counted from a zero point (on stele 2 in Chiapa de Corzo, Guatemala)
	ca. 100 A.D.	Start of construction of the first step pyramid in Teotihuacán in central Mexico
Classic
Early Classicism	200 - 500 AD
	approx. 200	Start of construction of the Pyramid of the Sun at Teotihuacán
	approx. 250	Start of construction of the Pyramid of the Moon at Teotihuacán
	approx. 250 - 450	Foundation of the great Maya cities in present-day Guatemala (Tikal, Palenque, Copán and Yaxchilán)
	292	Dating of the earliest stele dated in the Long Count at Tikal
	approx. 300 - 550	The heyday of Teotihuacán: The city was probably the largest settlement on the American continent with a population of around 125,000.
	approx. 400	Much of the Mayan territory is subdued or influenced by Teotihuacán, which helps define Mayan culture for a long time.
Middle Classic	500 - 700 AD
	approx. 500	Beginning of the heyday of the Zapotec culture
	540	Foundation of the Mayan city of Bonampak
	approx. 550 - 700	Long lasting wars between the cities of Tikal and Calakmul and their vassals
	approx. 600 - 650	Decline and subsequent abandonment of the city of Teotihuacán
	approx. 650	Beginning of the Classical Hiatus: Numerous cities of the southern lowlands are abandoned; royalty and nobility disappear, new smaller, strongly fortified settlements on hills are formed
Late Classic	700 - 900 AD
	799	Last dating in the Mayan city of Palenque
	822	Last dating in the Mayan city of Copán
	879	Last dating in the Mayan city of Tikal
Final Classic	900 - 1000 AD
	909	Last dating in the Maya cities Uxmal and Toniná, at the same time last dating of the classical time of the Maya
Postclassic
Early Postclassic	900/1000-1200 AD
	approx. 950	Foundation of the Toltec capital Tula
	987	The Toltec ruler Quetzalcoatl and his followers are driven out of Tula (origin of the Quetzalcoatl myth); in the same year they conquer the Maya city of Chichén Itzá.
	1007	Foundation of the Maya city Mayapán
	1140	Probable first appearance of the ancestors of the Aztecs in the valley of Mexico
	1168	With the destruction of Tula by the Chichimeken the decline of the Toltec Empire begins.
Late Postclassic	1200-1520/1540 AD.
	1221	The cities of Chichén Itzá, Mayapán and the newly settled Uxmal, located in the northern lowlands, found the League of Mayapán.
	1224	The Toltecs leave Chichén Itzá; the Itzá reassume rule over the city.
	ca. 1320-1350	Foundation of the later Aztec capital Tenochtitlán
	ca. 1350	The Mixtecs settle in Monte Albán.
	1428	The central Mexican cities of Tenochtitlán, Texcoco and Tlacopán form the Aztec Triple Alliance.
	1441	End of the League of Mayapán through a revolt that forces the Itzá to leave Chichén Itzá and Mayapán is destroyed.
	1487	During the inauguration of the Templo Mayor in Tenochtitlán, more than 20,000 people are sacrificed within four days.
	1511	First appearance of the Spaniards at the coast of the peninsula Yucatán
	1517	The expedition of Juan de Grijalva is the first contact between Europeans and Aztecs.
	1519–1521	The Spanish conquest of Mexico leads to the fall of the Aztec Empire.
	1524–1542	The Spanish make several attempts to subjugate the Maya, but only partially succeed. The resistance continues in the following decades.
Colonial Times
	1697	With the destruction of the Itzá city of Tayasal in Yucatán, the last independent indigenous rule in Mesoamerica comes to an end.

Mesoamerican chronology

Timeline

See also

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