Mesoamerican chronology

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Periods in Mesoamerican history
Lithic period before 8000 BCE Archaic period 8000 BCE– 2000 BCE Preclassic period 2000 BCE– 250 CE Classic period 250 CE– 900 CE Postclassic period 900 CE–1500 CE Columbian era after 1500 CE See also List of archaeological periods (North America)
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Mesoamerican chronology divides the history of prehispanic Mesoamerica into several periods: the Paleo-Indian (first human habitation until 3500 BCE); the Archaic (before 2600 BCE), the Preclassic or Formative (2500 BCE – 250 CE), the Classic (250–900 CE), and the Postclassic (900–1521 CE); as well as the post European contact Colonial Period (1521–1821), and Postcolonial, or the period after independence from Spain (1821–present).

The periodisation of Mesoamerica by researchers is based on archaeological, ethnohistorical, and modern cultural anthropology research dating to the early twentieth century. Archaeologists, ethnohistorians, historians, and cultural anthropologists continue to work to develop cultural histories of the region.^[1]