<P> The Archaic period , prior to 2000 BC , saw the first developments in agriculture and the earliest villages . The Preclassic period ( c. 2000 BC to 250 AD ) saw the establishment of the first complex societies in the Maya region , and the cultivation of the staple crops of the Maya diet , including maize , beans , squashes , and chili peppers . The first Maya cities developed around 750 BC , and by 500 BC these cities possessed monumental architecture , including large temples with elaborate stucco façades . Hieroglyphic writing was being used in the Maya region by the 3rd century BC . In the Late Preclassic a number of large cities developed in the Petén Basin , and Kaminaljuyu rose to prominence in the Guatemalan Highlands . Beginning around 250 AD , the Classic period is largely defined as when the Maya were raising sculpted monuments with Long Count dates . This period saw the Maya civilization develop a large number of city - states linked by a complex trade network . In the Maya Lowlands two great rivals , Tikal and Calakmul , became powerful . The Classic period also saw the intrusive intervention of the central Mexican city of Teotihuacan in Maya dynastic politics . In the 9th century , there was a widespread political collapse in the central Maya region , resulting in internecine warfare , the abandonment of cities , and a northward shift of population . The Postclassic period saw the rise of Chichen Itza in the north , and the expansion of the aggressive K'iche ' kingdom in the Guatemalan Highlands . In the 16th century , the Spanish Empire colonized the Mesoamerican region , and a lengthy series of campaigns saw the fall of Nojpetén , the last Maya city , in 1697 . </P>
<P> The Archaic period , prior to 2000 BC , saw the first developments in agriculture and the earliest villages . The Preclassic period ( c. 2000 BC to 250 AD ) saw the establishment of the first complex societies in the Maya region , and the cultivation of the staple crops of the Maya diet , including maize , beans , squashes , and chili peppers . The first Maya cities developed around 750 BC , and by 500 BC these cities possessed monumental architecture , including large temples with elaborate stucco façades . Hieroglyphic writing was being used in the Maya region by the 3rd century BC . In the Late Preclassic a number of large cities developed in the Petén Basin , and Kaminaljuyu rose to prominence in the Guatemalan Highlands . Beginning around 250 AD , the Classic period is largely defined as when the Maya were raising sculpted monuments with Long Count dates . This period saw the Maya civilization develop a large number of city - states linked by a complex trade network . In the Maya Lowlands two great rivals , Tikal and Calakmul , became powerful . The Classic period also saw the intrusive intervention of the central Mexican city of Teotihuacan in Maya dynastic politics . In the 9th century , there was a widespread political collapse in the central Maya region , resulting in internecine warfare , the abandonment of cities , and a northward shift of population . The Postclassic period saw the rise of Chichen Itza in the north , and the expansion of the aggressive K'iche ' kingdom in the Guatemalan Highlands . In the 16th century , the Spanish Empire colonized the Mesoamerican region , and a lengthy series of campaigns saw the fall of Nojpetén , the last Maya city , in 1697 . </P>
when did the maya live in large cities with prominent stone pyramids
when did the maya live in large cities with prominent stone pyramids
500 BC
500 BC