History of the Maya civilization

The history of Maya civilization is divided into three principal periods: the Preclassic, Classic and Postclassic periods; these were preceded by the Archaic Period, which saw the first settled villages and early developments in agriculture. Modern scholars regard these periods as arbitrary divisions of chronology of the Maya civilization, rather than indicative of cultural evolution or decadence. Definitions of the start and end dates of period spans can vary by as much as a century, depending on the author. 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. Each period is further subdivided:

Maya chronology
Period	Division		Dates
Archaic			8000–2000 BC
Preclassic	Early Preclassic		2000–1000 BC
	Middle Preclassic	Early Middle Preclassic	1000–600 BC
	Middle Preclassic	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
Postclassic	Late Postclassic		AD 1200–1539
Contact period			AD 1511–1697

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