<P> During the Middle Preclassic Period, small villages began to grow to form cities . Nakbe in the Petén department of Guatemala is the earliest well - documented city in the Maya lowlands, where large structures have been dated to around 750 BC . The northern lowlands of Yucatán were widely settled by the Middle Preclassic . By approximately 400 BC, early Maya rulers were raising stelae . A developed script was already being used in Petén by the 3rd century BC . In the Late Preclassic Period, the enormous city of El Mirador grew to cover approximately 16 square kilometres (6.2 sq mi). Although not as large, Tikal was already a significant city by around 350 BC . </P> <P> In the highlands, Kaminaljuyu emerged as a principal centre in the Late Preclassic . Takalik Abaj and Chocolá were two of the most important cities on the Pacific coastal plain, and Komchen grew to become an important site in northern Yucatán . The Late Preclassic cultural florescence collapsed in the 1st century AD and many of the great Maya cities of the epoch were abandoned; the cause of this collapse is unknown . </P> <P> The Classic period is largely defined as the period during which the lowland Maya raised dated monuments using the Long Count calendar . This period marked the peak of large - scale construction and urbanism, the recording of monumental inscriptions, and demonstrated significant intellectual and artistic development, particularly in the southern lowland regions . The Classic period Maya political landscape has been likened to that of Renaissance Italy or Classical Greece, with multiple city - states engaged in a complex network of alliances and enmities . The largest cities had populations numbering 50,000 to 120,000 and were linked to networks of subsidiary sites . </P> <P> During the Early Classic, cities throughout the Maya region were influenced by the great metropolis of Teotihuacan in the distant Valley of Mexico . In AD 378, Teotihuacan decisively intervened at Tikal and other nearby cities, deposed their rulers, and installed a new Teotihuacan - backed dynasty . This intervention was led by Siyaj K'ak' ("Born of Fire"), who arrived at Tikal in early 378 . The king of Tikal, Chak Tok Ich'aak I, died on the same day, suggesting a violent takeover . A year later, Siyaj K'ak' oversaw the installation of a new king, Yax Nuun Ahiin I . The installation of the new dynasty led to a period of political dominance when Tikal became the most powerful city in the central lowlands . </P>

When did the mayan civilization reached its peak