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)
Page last updated on Thu Nov 21 11:02:34 2024 (Mountain Standard Time)
Timeline of Pre-Columbian Civilizations in Central and South America on gei.aerobaticsweb.org