Middle Formative period

E687638

The Middle Formative period was a key Mesoamerican era (roughly 900–400 BCE) marked by the growth of early urban centers, increasing social complexity, and the florescence of cultures such as the Olmec.

All labels observed (1)

Label Occurrences
Middle Formative period canonical 4

How this entity was disambiguated

Statements (62)

Predicate Object
instanceOf Mesoamerican cultural period ⓘ
archaeological period ⓘ
alsoKnownAs Middle Preclassic period ⓘ
linked to: Middle Preclassic
appliesToJurisdiction Mesoamerica ⓘ
economicActivity bean and squash cultivation ⓘ
maize agriculture ⓘ
marine shell trade ⓘ
obsidian trade ⓘ
salt production and exchange ⓘ
endTime circa 400 BCE ⓘ
fieldOfStudy Mesoamerican archaeology ⓘ
followedBy Late Formative period ⓘ
follows Early Formative period ⓘ
hasCharacteristic development of early writing or proto-writing in some regions ⓘ
development of regional chiefdoms ⓘ
emergence of regional art styles ⓘ
expansion of long-distance trade networks ⓘ
growth of early urban centers ⓘ
increased social stratification ⓘ
increased use of jade and other prestige goods ⓘ
increasing social complexity ⓘ
intensification of agriculture ⓘ
monumental architecture ⓘ
public ceremonial complexes ⓘ
widespread use of ceramics ⓘ
hasNotableSite Ceibal ⓘ
Cerro de las Mesas ⓘ
Chalcatzingo ⓘ
Cuicuilco ⓘ
El Mirador region ⓘ
El Opeño ⓘ
Izapa ⓘ
Kaminaljuyú ⓘ
La Blanca ⓘ
La Venta ⓘ
Las Bocas ⓘ
Monte Albán ⓘ
Nakbé ⓘ
San José Mogote ⓘ
San Lorenzo Tenochtitlán ⓘ
Takalik Abaj ⓘ
Tlatilco ⓘ
Tres Zapotes ⓘ
hasSignificantCulture Central Mexican highlands cultures ⓘ
Epi-Olmec culture ⓘ
Gulf Coast cultures ⓘ
Maya culture ⓘ
linked to: Maya civilization

Olmec civilization ⓘ
Valley of Oaxaca cultures ⓘ
Zapotec culture ⓘ
partOf Formative period ⓘ
religiousCharacteristic construction of sacred precincts ⓘ
development of complex ritual systems ⓘ
use of ritual offerings in caches ⓘ
startTime circa 900 BCE ⓘ
temporalContext first millennium BCE ⓘ
typicalArchitecture earthen platform mounds ⓘ
plaza-centered site layouts ⓘ
stone sculptures and altars ⓘ
typicalArt Olmec-style monumental heads ⓘ
incised and painted ceramics ⓘ
jade figurines and ornaments ⓘ

How these facts were elicited

Referenced by (4)

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

Laguna de los Cerros → timeOfMajorOccupation → Middle Formative period ⓘ
Tlatilco → culturePeriod → Middle Formative period ⓘ
Olmec heartland → flourishedDuring → Middle Formative period ⓘ
Olmec head → timePeriod → Middle Formative period ⓘ