The Classical Age (Maya) (jan 2, 250 – jan 1, 900)

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During this time the Maya culture reached its zenith, with huge sprawling cities, extensive trade networks that connected them and great monuments such as the famous Chichen Itza.

This time saw extensive involvement from the metropolis city-state Teotihuacan, which installed its own dynasty to rule over various Mayan cities.

The cities of Tikal and Calakmul engaged in a long-term and sometimes deadly rivalry, each with its own network of alliances.

Due to a combination of devastating warfare, soil degradation, drought and environmental changes these Maya states would find themselves under considerable strain until they reached the breaking point. Many Mayans instead formed smaller, less centralised entities and lived in villages again, with many of the great cities being abandoned and monuments no longer being built.

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