The History of the World Podcast, written and presented by Chris Hasler

volume three the classical world episode 75

classic period mire Classic period Meyer. So, Mayan history could be described as the backbone of pre-Columbian Meso-American history as its

longevity and geography positions it at the center of everything. Millions of ethnically Mayan people still live in

Central America today and their roots can be traced back to the pre-Columbian

ancient Mayans but they can also be traced back to

some of the earliest known civilizations of Mesoamerica too. So let's begin this

week by creating a timeline and a geographical placement for these people.

Our first archaeological sites to visit this week is called Quillo.

Quillo is just over the border from Mexico in the modern country of Belize,

and in particular it is in the Orange Walk District.

The site has been worked on since the 1970s and a small nine-step pyramid was uncovered which was clearly very old compared to many other finds.

This was in the heart of traditional Mayan territory but it must have been older than other Mayan sites.

The questions would be, how old it would be, and who built it.

Aspects of the site do point towards an early or proton Mayan culture, but dating

this site has proved difficult with ages from around 3,000 to 4,000 years ago being offered.

This would have been well over 1,000 years before the age of the Classic Mayans, who are the

subject of this week's episode.

The Classic Mayan period began in around the year 250.

So anything before this period can be described as pre-classic with the site at

Quoio representing one of the earliest of all pre-classic Mayan sites.

The location near the Mexican border of Belize is somewhat central for the Mayan culture.

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