<P> The littoral zone of Soconusco lies to the south of the Sierra Madre de Chiapas, and consists of a narrow coastal plain and the foothills of the Sierra Madre . The Maya highlands extend eastwards from Chiapas into Guatemala, reaching their highest in the Sierra de los Cuchumatanes . The major pre-Columbian population centres of the highlands were located in the largest highland valleys, such as the Valley of Guatemala and the Quetzaltenango Valley . In the southern highlands, a belt of volcanic cones runs parallel to the Pacific coast . The highlands extend northwards into Verapaz, and gradually descend to the east . </P> <P> The history of Maya civilization is divided into three principal periods: the Preclassic, Classic, and Postclassic periods . These were preceded by the Archaic Period, during which the first settled villages and early developments in agriculture emerged . Modern scholars regard these periods as arbitrary divisions of Maya chronology, rather than indicative of cultural evolution or decline . Definitions of the start and end dates of period spans can vary by as much as a century, depending on the author . </P> <Table> Maya chronology <Tr> <Th> Period </Th> <Th_colspan="2"> Division </Th> <Th> Dates </Th> </Tr> <Tr> <Td_colspan="3"> Archaic </Td> <Td> 8000--2000 BC </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Preclassic </Td> <Td_colspan="2"> Early Preclassic </Td> <Td> 2000--1000 BC </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Middle Preclassic </Td> <Td> Early Middle Preclassic </Td> <Td> 1000--600 BC </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Late Middle Preclassic </Td> <Td> 600--350 BC </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Late Preclassic </Td> <Td> Early Late Preclassic </Td> <Td> 350--1 BC </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Late Late Preclassic </Td> <Td> 1 BC--AD 159 </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Terminal Preclassic </Td> <Td> AD 159--250 </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Classic </Td> <Td_colspan="2"> Early Classic </Td> <Td> AD 250--550 </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td_colspan="2"> Late Classic </Td> <Td> AD 550--830 </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td_colspan="2"> Terminal Classic </Td> <Td> AD 830--950 </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Postclassic </Td> <Td_colspan="2"> Early Postclassic </Td> <Td> AD 950--1200 </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td_colspan="2"> Late Postclassic </Td> <Td> AD 1200--1539 </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td_colspan="3"> Contact period </Td> <Td> AD 1511--1697 </Td> </Tr> </Table> <Tr> <Th> Period </Th> <Th_colspan="2"> Division </Th> <Th> Dates </Th> </Tr>

How far back can we trace the mayan culture
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