250–600 CE

Period · Mesoamerica

Early Classic

250–600 CE

The Early Classic sees Teotihuacan at its height and its influence felt at Tikal, Copán and Kaminaljuyú, marked by tripod cylinder vessels and Thin Orange ware. Maya kingdoms erect dated stelae and build acropolis complexes. The period ends with the decline of Teotihuacan.

Dates250–600 CE
RegionMesoamerica
PeriodO definition250–600 CE — The Oxford handbook of Mesoamerican archeology (2012)· PeriodO — Periods, Organized

Elsewhere

Cite this article

Stratum Study. "Early Classic" (Period). Stratum Study pack 2026.09, as of 2026-09-21. https://stratum.black/study/periods/early-classic. Accessed 2026-09-21.

@misc{stratum-early-classic,
  title        = {Early Classic},
  author       = {{Stratum Study}},
  howpublished = {\url{https://stratum.black/study/periods/early-classic}},
  year         = {2026},
  note         = {Period article, Stratum Study pack 2026.09, as of 2026-09-21; sources: stratum, periodo. Accessed 2026-09-21.}
}

Citations carry the pack version and the article's as-of date so they resolve to the same text later. The facts themselves belong to the sources listed below; cite those for the science.

Sources for this article: Stratum editorial (Stratum editorial);PeriodO — Periods, Organized (CC0). As of 2026-09-21; Study pack 2026.09. Data reproduced under the licences shown; text in Stratum's own words unless a section names its source.

Found an error? Write to drew@tyr.ac with the article id period:early-classic.

Stratum is the inventory, provenance and certificate system for fossil, mineral and shell collections. Study is its open reference: every fact cites its source, and the credits page lists each one with its licence.