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Beginning of the Maya Preclassic period

Type Event Region North America Time c. -1000–250

Around 1000 BCE, the Maya region entered the Preclassic period, marking the start of Maya civilization's long development.

Timeline

  1. c. -1000–-800Maya lowlands · GuatemalaThe first permanent villages and maize-farming settlements appeared in the Maya region; pottery-making techniques spread, society began transitioning from swidden to settled agriculture, and the population gradually grew.
  2. c. -800–-500Nakbé · GuatemalaSites such as Nakbé saw the first stone platforms and ceremonial buildings; Olmec-style artistic elements spread into the Maya region, and elite classes and religious ritual systems were preliminarily established.

Sources