Maya Postclassic Transition

Name: Maya Postclassic Transition
Start: 1061
End: 1070

Type Event Region North America Time c. 1061–1070

Around the 1060s CE, the Maya lowlands, especially the Yucatán Peninsula, were moving from post-Classic Collapse reorganization into the early Postcl…

Timeline

c. 1061–1065Chichén Itzá · YucatánCenters such as Chichén Itzá in the northern Yucatán expanded rapidly during this period, absorbing Classic-period southward-migrating elites and local powers, forming the prototype of a multi-center competitive pattern of the Postclassic, with architectural styles showing new features blending with Toltec elements.
c. 1065–1070Uxmal and the Puuc hills · YucatánBuilding activity slowed in the Puuc-style core area, and some sites lost population; in the southern Petén and other Classic Maya heartlands only smaller settlements remained, with the regional center of power clearly shifting north, and the Postclassic political-economic model gradually taking shape.

Sources

The Ancient Maya — Robert J. Sharer; Loa P. Traxler (2006)
Chichén Itzá and the Rise of the Postclassic Maya — Cynthia Kristan-Graham; Geoffrey E. Braswell (eds.) (2020)