A history of the Maya: The Early Classic period

As portion of an exploration into Mexico’s agelong and affluent history, Mexico News Daily has teamed up with 1 of the country’s apical Maya experts to analyse the past satellite that flourished crossed Mesoamerica.

In our archetypal installment, we talked astir the beginnings of Mayan civilization during the Preclassic play successful what is present Mexico and further southbound into modern entities similar Guatemala, Belize, Honduras and El Salvador. That aboriginal epoch culminated successful the emergence of the past metropolis we telephone contiguous El Mirador, the large metropolis of the Preclassic period, located successful the Petén country of modern-day Guatemala.

The Temple of the Masks successful Uaxactún was built successful the Late Preclassic arsenic the metropolis was opening to emergence to prominence. (Clemens Schmillen/Wikimedia Commons)

However, each large things travel to an end, and truthful it did for El Mirador, erstwhile astir A.D.150, the metropolis suffered a large sociopolitical crisis, theorized to person been driven astatine slightest successful portion by accrued gathering activity, which meant accrued deforestation to substance the wood-fired kilns that helped the Maya marque stucco for their buildings. 

This wide deforestation had inevitable biology consequences and was apt a cardinal origin successful El Mirador’s decline, arsenic was apt contention from newer cities that had already begun to emerge. 

Transition from the Late Preclassic

By the Late Preclassic period (approximately 450 B.C. to A.D. 250), galore governmental entities had begun to look successful the confederate Maya Lowlands, cities that were increasing successful some operation and population, notably done the gathering of astronomical commemoration groups and ample triadic pyramidal structures. 

These entities were processing large-scale hydraulic engineering, arsenic good arsenic connection routes, truthful these cities were interacting with each different and trading materials. Archaeological findings of luxury goods that had to person traveled agelong distances to beryllium placed successful their burial offerings not lone constituent to increased enactment betwixt these centers but besides an summation successful people differentiation wrong cities, arsenic good arsenic a precocious grade of sociopolitical power led by powerfulness groups. 

Archeologists person besides recovered that the accumulation of stelae, altars and ceramics accrued during this period, signaling innovations successful the standardization of production, thing which would person required specialized labor.

The Early Classic play (A.D. 250–550)

As Maya civilizations near the Preclassic play and moved into the Early Classic period, we spot immense advancements: The gathering of stelae accrued exponentially, and these monuments featured caller iconographic and calligraphic styles, suggesting advancements successful penning and astronomical cognition — skills antecedently adapted from different Mesoamerican peoples.

The Mundo Perdido (Lost World) Pyramid successful Tikal was built during the Maya Early Classic period. (Simon Burchell/Wikimedia Commons)

New settlements emerged, led by powerfulness groups who needed to legitimize their position. This apt drove the summation successful hieroglyphic narratives and the complexity of a worldview wherever the ajaw (rulers) established divine dynastic lines linked to past oregon mythical times. 

During this time, cities specified arsenic Uaxactún, Tikal, Naranjo, Caracol, Naachtun and Dzibanché roseate to prominence. Each ruling household asserted its value done the “emblem glyph,” a circumstantial hieroglyphic compound utilized to separate their lineage.

Evidence of antiaircraft constructions, specified arsenic walls and moats, besides accrued toward the extremity of the Late Preclassic. Recent probe utilizing LiDAR exertion has helped survey these defenses successful cities similar Tintal, El Mirador and Holmul. 

This friction apt arose from the conflict to power earthy resources, sharpening the societal changes that followed a situation astir A.D. 150.

An unexpected accomplishment successful Tikal changes Mayan past forever

Stelae successful the Guatemalan Petén constituent to escalating determination conflicts, peculiarly betwixt the neighboring cities of Uaxactún and Tikal, located conscionable 25 kilometers apart. Following decades of warfare successful the 4th century, Tikal achieved determination supremacy erstwhile King Chak Took’ Ihch’aak defeated Tz’akbu Usiij of Uaxactún, an lawsuit recorded connected Tikal’s Stela 39.

However, the governmental scenery shifted dramatically connected Jan. 16, successful A.D. 378. 

Stela successful Tikal depicting Yax Nuun Ayiin, a ruler imposed by the Teotihuacans successful an occurrence that everlastingly changed the past of the Mayas. (H. Grobe/Wikimedia Commons)

Monuments astatine Tikal and Uaxactún grounds the accomplishment of foreigners from the distant metropolis of Teotihuacán (located northwest of modern-day Mexico City). Known successful world lit arsenic “The Entry” (La Entrada), this radical was led by figures named Sihyaj K’ahk’ and K’inich Mo’.

According to Stela 31 successful Tikal, the Teotihuacans past imposed a caller ruler, Yax Nuun Ayiin, who was the lad of a high-ranking Teotihuacán national named Jatz’o’m Kuy. This lawsuit fundamentally changed the Maya’s history, introducing Teotihuacán creator symbols, deities and powerfulness structures that Maya rulers aboriginal utilized to legitimize their authority.

The emergence of the serpent dynasty

By A.D. 500, colonisation maturation and warfare intensified crossed the region. In the modern-day authorities of Quintana Roo, the colony of Dzibanché roseate to powerfulness arsenic the superior of the Kanu’l dynasty (the “Place wherever Snakes Abound”), identified by the Snake Head emblem glyph. Hieroglyphic stairs successful Dzibanché’s “Captives Building” picture bound men, apt the effect of territorial enlargement campaigns.

The Kanu’l dynasty yet engaged successful a monolithic struggle against Tikal, involving aggregate regions. While Caracol was initially subordinate to Tikal, successful A.D. 562, the Kanu’l of Dzibanché supported Caracol successful a warfare against Tikal. 

The Kanu’l conjugation was victorious, establishing a immense web of alliances with cities similar Naranjo — successful modern-day Guatemala —  and Caracol, successful modern-day Belize. This triumph triggered Tikal’s diminution and marked the opening of the Late Classic period, an epoch erstwhile the instauration of divine ultimate leaders, i.e., “sacred lords,” would scope its peak.

Pablo Mumary holds a doctorate successful Mesoamerican studies from UNAM and presently works astatine the Center for Maya Studies astatine IIFL-UNAM arsenic a full-time subordinate researcher. He specializes successful the survey of the lordships of the Maya Lowlands of the Classic period.