Postclassic period in Belize

Postclassic
900–1500
LocationBelize
Including
  • Early (to 1200)
  • Late (to 1500)
Monarch(s)None
Leader(s)Unknown
Key events
  • Growth of maritime trade
  • emergence of non-monarchical states
Chronology
Classic Spanish


The Postclassic period of Belizean, Maya, and Mesoamerican history began with the completion of the Classic Maya collapse in AD 900, and ended with the arrival of the Spanish in 1500. The period was originally conceived as that which followed the Classic apogee of Maya civilisation, that is, 'as a decline from the Classic peak of civilisation, a time marked by decadence rather than an era of continued development.' It is now thought of as a time of political, social, and economic transformation or revival.