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600–900 CE

Period · Mesoamerica

Late Classic

600–900 CE

The Late Classic is the peak of Maya civilisation, with painted polychrome vases, carved stelae and the great cities of Tikal, Calakmul, Palenque and Copán. The Terminal Classic collapse of the southern lowlands closes the period. In Oaxaca Monte Albán declines and in central Mexico Xochicalco and Cacaxtla rise.

Dates600–900 CE
RegionMesoamerica
PeriodO definition600–900 CE — The Oxford handbook of Mesoamerican archeology (2012)· PeriodO — Periods, Organized

Cultures

Sites

Typical types

Elsewhere

Cite this article

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

BibTeX · CSL-JSON

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

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