Mayan culture was established in the territory occupied by the present Mexican states of Chiapas, Yucatán, Campeche, Tabasco and Quintana Roo, the totality of the territories of Guatemala and Belize, and part of Honduras.

Three chronological periods mark its development:

From midway through the second millennium BC to 250 or 300 AD (Preclassical Period).
In the second millennium BC, we find the first nuclei of stable populations. In the 4th century BC, there are examples of monumental architecture in such places as Izapa (Chiapas, Mexico) and Abaj Takalik (Guatemala), amongst others.

From 300 to 900 or 1000 AD (Classic Period)
This is the period of greatest cultural development, marked by systematic and painstaking working of the land; the economy is based on a diversified production (maize, pumpkin, frijoles (kidney beans), cacao, cotton, salt ...), and an exchange of goods with other cultures (jade, obsidian, salt, feathers, handmade objects, etc.); it was a class-based society with the Halac Uinic (the One and Only) at its head, with unlimited political and religious powers; social control was based on military power and scientific knowledge of natural processes controlled by priests and scientific specialists. Ml of this permitted a great artistic, urban and architectural development.

Archaeological and epigraphic study of different cities in the Mayan state reveals to us the political relations between these centres, and their evolution over time.

From 900 or 1000 AD until the arrival of the Spaniards (Postclassic Period).
This period represents, in great part, a rupture with many elements from the earlier phase. A process of militarisation of the territory may be observed, materialised in political alliances between different centres or regional states, so that we see the introduction of architectural forms and decorative motifs reflecting ideas originating in other Mesoamerican areas (from the Toltec culture, based in the high plateau region of Central Mexico, and the Mixtec culture, in the Oaxaca area, amongst others).