3114 BCE Maya Long Count calendar starts
1800-900 BCE Early Preclassic Maya
1200 BCE Olmec civilization develops prominence.
Cahal Pech is settled.
900 BCE Altun Ha is settled
900-300 BCE Middle Preclassic Maya
650 BCE Caracol starts to flourish
600 BCE El Mirador starts to flourish
400 BCE Lamanai starts to flourish. It continued to be occupied through the Spanish conquest and beyond.
350 BCE Decline of the Olmecs.
Yaxhá starts to flourish.
331 BCE Traditional founding date of Copán
300 BCE - 250 CE Late Preclassic Maya
220 BCE Palenque established
100 BCE Teotihuacán is founded. It is a major center for centuries
1 CE San Agustín started making large burials with statues
c. 150 CE El Mirador is abandoned the first time
250 - 600 CE Early Classic Maya
300 CE Chané started Samaipata
378 CE Teotihuacán conquers Tikal
426 CE Teotihuacán conquers Copán, establishes the royal dynasty of Copán
550 CE Major monuments in Teotihuacán are sacked and burned
600 CE Xunantunich starts to flourish
600 - 900 CE Late Classic Maya.
Chichén Itzá rises to prominence.
600-700 CE End of Teotihuacán
c. 700 CE El Mirador is settled again
750 CE Xunantunich is abandoned
c. 800 CE Palenque is abandoned.
c. 820 CE Copán is abandoned.
c. 900 CE End of the Classic Period, collapse of the southern cities.
Tikal, Yaxhá, Caracol are abandoned.
El Mirador is abandoned the second time.
Northern cities continue to thrive.
San Agustín stopped making statues.
900 - 1500 CE Post Classic Maya
1000 CE Altun Ha is abandoned
1224 CE Chichén Itzá is abandoned by the Toltec, taken over by the Itzá
1244 CE Chichén Itzá is abandoned by the Itzá
1300 CE Aztec Empire started
1400 CE Inca Empire started
1600 CE Spanish left Samaipata Rock
The Spanish conquest of the Americas ended these civilizations.

All pictures are © Dr. Günther Eichhorn, unless otherwise noted.

Page last updated on Sun Dec 12 12:17:12 2021 (Mountain Standard Time)

Timeline of Pre-Columbian Civilizations in Central and South America on aerobaticsweb.org

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