TIMELINE THROUGH MESOAMERICA
C. 1800 BC:
Early villages appear in Mexico and Guatemala
C. 1200 BC:
The Olmecs flourish in the
Gulf Coast of Mexico
C. 300 BC:
The Maya develop a writing system
C. AD 500:
The city of Tikal
becomes one of the first great Maya cities
683:
Pacal the Great dies and is buried in the Temple of the Inscriptions at Palenque
C. 800-900:
The Pyramid of Kukulcan
is built
C. 1100:
The Incas migrate to Cuzco valley in Peru
1283:
The walled city of Mayapan becomes the capital of Yucatán
1345:
The Aztec Empire in Mexico begins to grow
1519:
Hernán Cortes explores the Yucatán Peninsula
1542:
The Spanish establish a capital city at Mérida in Yucatán
1566:
Diego de Landa
writes Relación de las Cosas de
Yucatán
1821: Mexico gains independence from Spain
1839:
John Lloyd
Stephens and
Frederick Catherwood find the Maya ruins at Copán
1847:
The Caste War of the Yucatán begins
1952:
Alberto Ruz Lhuillier discovers Pacal’s tomb
1985:
The Guatemalan Constitution includes articles protecting the Maya culture and land
1992:
Rigoberta Menchú wins the
Nobel Peace Prize
2012: Archaeologists
uncover the tomb
of the Maya queen,
Lady K'abel