<Tr> <Td> Late Preclassic </Td> <Td> 400 BCE--200 CE </Td> <Td> Zoque area: Chiapa de Corzo; Maya area: Kaminaljuyu, El Mirador, Uaxactun, Tikal, Edzná, Cival, San Bartolo, Altar de Sacrificios, Piedras Negras, Ceibal, Rio Azul; Central Mexico: Teotihuacan; Gulf Coast: Epi - Olmec culture West Mexico: Teuchitlan tradition, shaft tomb culture, Chupícuaro </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Classic </Td> <Td> 200--900 </Td> <Td> Classic Maya Centers, Teotihuacan, Zapotec </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Early Classic </Td> <Td> 200--600 </Td> <Td> Maya area: Calakmul, Caracol, Chunchucmil, Copán, Naranjo, Palenque, Quiriguá, Tikal, Uaxactun, Yaxha; Teotihuacan apogee; Zapotec apogee; Bajío apogee; Teuchitlan tradition </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Late Classic </Td> <Td> 600--900 </Td> <Td> Maya area: Uxmal, Toniná, Cobá, Xunantunich, Waka', Pusilhá, Xultún, Dos Pilas, Cancuen, Aguateca, La Blanca; Central Mexico: Xochicalco, Cacaxtla, Cholula; Gulf Coast: El Tajín and Classic Veracruz culture </Td> </Tr>

In recent years one of the most significant advances in mesoamerican archaeology has been