The Maya civilization was around from roughly 2000 BCE until the Spanish conquest in the 1500s CE, with its peak (the Classic period) between about 250–900 CE.

Quick Scoop: Timeline of the Mayans

  • Around 2000 BCE: Early Maya farming villages and communities begin to form in Mesoamerica (southern Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, Honduras, El Salvador).
  • 1500–1000 BCE: Settled village life, agriculture, and early cultural development take shape.
  • 700–300 BCE: Writing, calendars, and larger settlements start to appear.
  • 250–900 CE: Classic period, when great city-states like Tikal, Palenque, and Copán flourish with pyramids, temples, and advanced astronomy and writing.
  • 900–1500s CE: Postclassic period; cities in the Yucatán like Chichén Itzá and Mayapán remain important until just before and during Spanish arrival.
  • 1500s CE: Spanish conquest disrupts and reshapes Maya political structures, but Maya people and cultures continue to the present day.

So if you’re wondering “when were the Mayans around?”, the short, practical answer is: from about 2000 BCE up through the 1500s CE, with their height between 250 and 900 CE.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.