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The Maya story begins in the Preclassic period with the establishment of the first permanent agricultural villages in the Guatemalan highlands and Pacific coast. -
Maya society had grown significantly. Nakbe, located in present day Guatemala, became one of the first major ceremonial centers. -
El Mirador grew to become the largest Maya city during the preclassic period. -
This marks the beginning of the Classic Period, the era of the Maya's greatest cultural and scientific achievements. -
While occupied earlier, Tikal began its rise to power around 200 BCE. It would go on to become one of the most powerful and influential Maya kingdoms. -
Pakal the Great, gained the throne of Palenque at age 12 and ruled for 68 years. His reign was a golden age for Palenque. -
From the mid-6th to late 7th century, a hiatus occurred where many cities stopped erecting dated monuments. -
The southern Maya lowlands experienced a profound collapse. One by one, great cities like Tikal, Palenque, and Copán stopped building monuments and were abandoned. -
As the southern cities declined, power shifted to the northern Yucatán Peninsula. Chichen Itza became the new dominant regional capital. -
The Spanish began conquering Maya territories in the 1520s, but the Maya resisted for centuries.