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3114 BCE
The Long Count Calendar
The Maya had a third calendar that they used for historical purposes. The calendar was called the Long Count Calendar. On August 11, 3114 BC the Long Count Calendar started. That was the day that the Maya believed the world was created. -
Period: 1524 BCE to 1546 BCE
The Maya Empire was Defeated
The Spaniards began their fight to take control of the Maya cities that remained in AD 1524. The final fight to take control of the cities were carried out in Ad 1546 by Francisco de Montejo the younger, whose troops had horses and guns. The once very infinite empire of the Maya was defeated. -
1441 BCE
The Maya State Ended
A riot overthrows the Cocom of Mayapan. The north cities were abandoned. The Maya state ended. Local chiefs now ruled at this time. -
Period: 1200 BCE to 1441 BCE
Hunac Ceel Takes Control of Mayapan
Hunac Ceel becomes king. He makes Mayapan his capital. Hunac Ceel over comes and takes control of his rivals. Also he started the Cocom dynasty. The Cocom dynasty ruled the Yucatan for about 250 year. -
600 BCE
Unknown Event Strikes the People of Teotihuacan
An event that was unknown destroyed the civilization at Teotihuacan. The unknown event also destroyed the empire it supported. Then, Tikal becomes the largest city-state in Mesoamerica, with as many as 500,000 residents within the city and its backwoods. -
250 BCE
The Preclassic Period
The Preclassic Period is the start of the Maya civilization to 250 AD and it is also when the Maya civilization began its golden age. During this period a lot of development took place. Two major cities during this period were called El Mirador and Kaminaljuyu. -
Period: 250 BCE to 900 BCE
The Classic Period(AD 250- AD 900)
In the Classic Period(AD 250- AD 900) the Maya villages grew large cities with temples, palaces, and roads. Now there are nobles, priests, and as well as farmers. A group of people forms with traders, artisans, and officials. The Maya perfected their astronomy, writing, and calendars -
50 BCE
Cerros A Maya City
Cerros was one of the Mayans cities that was built in the 50 BCS. The city was complex with temples and ball courts. It was abandoned (for reasons unknown), then a hundred years later its people returned to fishing and farming. -
1511
Ship Wreck
A Spanish person named Gonzalo Guerrero shipwrecked and then washed up on the eastern shore of Yucatán. Gonzalo Guerrero deflects to the Maya, he tattooed his face, and piercing his ears and marrying into a Maya noble family. Later Guerrero becomes an implacable enemy of the Spaniard and he does a lot to help the
Maya resists Spanish rule in Yucatán. -
Period: 1516 to
Smallpox Decreases Maya Population
Disease or poison preceded the arrival of Spanish troops in 1515 or 1516 in Yucatán and from 1519-1521 in highland Guatemala. These people probably killed at least ⅓ of the population. By the end of the 16th century, in most areas the Maya population decreased by at least 90 percent from their pre-Conquest levels.
