Preclassic period (Maya civilization)

E642530

The Preclassic period of Maya civilization is the formative era, spanning roughly 2000 BCE to 250 CE, during which the Maya developed agriculture, complex societies, monumental architecture, and early writing systems that laid the foundations for their later Classic florescence.

All labels observed (7)

How this entity was disambiguated

Statements (66)

Predicate Object
instanceOf historical period ⓘ
alsoKnownAs Formative period (Maya civilization) ⓘ
characterizedBy construction of monumental architecture ⓘ
development of agriculture ⓘ
development of calendrical systems ⓘ
development of early Maya writing ⓘ
development of religious and ceremonial centers ⓘ
emergence of complex chiefdoms and early states ⓘ
emergence of hereditary elites ⓘ
increasing social stratification ⓘ
long-distance trade networks ⓘ
sedentary village life ⓘ
endTime circa 250 CE ⓘ
followedBy Classic period (Maya civilization) ⓘ
follows Archaic period (Mesoamerica) ⓘ
hasArchaeologicalEvidence architectural stratigraphy ⓘ
ceramic sequences ⓘ
epigraphic inscriptions ⓘ
iconographic murals ⓘ
hasCalendar 260-day ritual calendar (Tzolk'in precursor) ⓘ
365-day solar calendar (Haab' precursor) ⓘ
hasCulturalPractice ancestor veneration ⓘ
public ceremonial gatherings ⓘ
ritual bloodletting ⓘ
hasDemographicTrend growth of large regional centers in Late Preclassic ⓘ
urbanization in some lowland regions ⓘ
hasEconomicActivity ceramic production ⓘ
jade trade ⓘ
obsidian trade ⓘ
salt production and exchange ⓘ
hasImportantSite Cerros ⓘ
Cival ⓘ
Cuello ⓘ
El Mirador ⓘ
Kaminaljuyú ⓘ
Lamanai ⓘ
Nakbe ⓘ
linked to: Nakbé

San Bartolo ⓘ
Seibal ⓘ
Tikal (early occupation) ⓘ
linked to: Tikal
hasMonumentType ballcourts ⓘ
plazas ⓘ
pyramidal platforms ⓘ
stucco masks and façades ⓘ
hasPart Early Preclassic period (Maya) ⓘ
linked to: Middle Preclassic

Late Preclassic period (Maya) ⓘ
linked to: Late Preclassic

Middle Preclassic period (Maya) ⓘ
linked to: Middle Preclassic
hasWritingSystem early Maya hieroglyphic script ⓘ
influencedBy Olmec civilization ⓘ
influences Classic period (Maya civilization) ⓘ
languageFamily Mayan languages ⓘ
locatedIn Belize ⓘ
Guatemala ⓘ
Mesoamerica ⓘ
Yucatán Peninsula ⓘ
western El Salvador ⓘ
western Honduras ⓘ
partOf Maya civilization ⓘ
religion early Maya polytheism ⓘ
startTime Early Preclassic: circa 2000–1000 BCE ⓘ
Late Preclassic: circa 400 BCE–250 CE ⓘ
Middle Preclassic: circa 1000–400 BCE ⓘ
circa 2000 BCE ⓘ
uses maize agriculture ⓘ
raised fields in some lowland areas ⓘ
slash-and-burn agriculture ⓘ

How these facts were elicited

Referenced by (24)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Classic period (Maya civilization) → follows → Preclassic period (Maya civilization) ⓘ
subject linked to: Classic period
Formative period of Mesoamerica → alsoKnownAs → Preclassic period of Mesoamerica ⓘ
linked to: Preclassic period (Maya civilization)
Mixteca Baja → historicalPeriod → Preclassic Mesoamerica ⓘ
linked to: Preclassic period (Maya civilization)
Maya architecture → timePeriod → Preclassic Maya period ⓘ
linked to: Preclassic period (Maya civilization)
Chaac → timePeriodOfWorship → Preclassic Maya period ⓘ
linked to: Preclassic period (Maya civilization)
Laguna de los Cerros → period → Preclassic Mesoamerica ⓘ
linked to: Preclassic period (Maya civilization)
Oxkintok → periodOfOccupation → Preclassic period ⓘ
linked to: Preclassic period (Maya civilization)
Dzibilchaltún → periodOfUse → Preclassic Maya period ⓘ
linked to: Preclassic period (Maya civilization)
Cuello → associatedWithCulture → Preclassic Maya ⓘ
linked to: Preclassic period (Maya civilization)
Cuello → period → Preclassic period ⓘ
linked to: Preclassic period (Maya civilization)
El Mirador → timePeriod → Preclassic Maya period ⓘ
linked to: Preclassic period (Maya civilization)
Yaxhá → hasPeriod → Preclassic period ⓘ
linked to: Preclassic period (Maya civilization)
Yaxhá-Nakúm-Naranjo National Park → hasArchaeologicalPeriod → Preclassic Maya period ⓘ
linked to: Preclassic period (Maya civilization)
Muyil → timePeriod → Preclassic Maya period ⓘ
linked to: Preclassic period (Maya civilization)
Maya city-states → timePeriod → Preclassic Maya period ⓘ
subject linked to: Maya city‑states
linked to: Preclassic period (Maya civilization)
Yucatán Peninsula sites → timePeriod → Preclassic Maya period ⓘ
linked to: Preclassic period (Maya civilization)
Preclassic period (Maya civilization) → alsoKnownAs → Formative period (Maya civilization) ⓘ
linked to: Preclassic period (Maya civilization)
E-Group architectural complex → periodOfUse → Preclassic Maya period ⓘ
linked to: Preclassic period (Maya civilization)
Mirador-Río Azul National Park → archaeologicalPeriod → Preclassic Maya period ⓘ
linked to: Preclassic period (Maya civilization)
Mayan art → timePeriod → Preclassic Maya period ⓘ
linked to: Preclassic period (Maya civilization)
Maya priesthood → timePeriod → Preclassic Maya period ⓘ
linked to: Preclassic period (Maya civilization)
Maya road system → timePeriod → Preclassic Maya period ⓘ
linked to: Preclassic period (Maya civilization)
Pasión River region → culturalPeriod → Preclassic Maya period ⓘ
linked to: Preclassic period (Maya civilization)
E-Group → timePeriod → Preclassic Maya period ⓘ
linked to: Preclassic period (Maya civilization)