Mesoamerican chronology divides the history of prehispanic Mesoamerica into several periods: the Paleo-Indian (first human habitation until 3500 BCE); the Archaic (before 2600 BCE), the Pre-classic or Formative (2500 BCE - 250 CE), the Classic (250-900 CE), and the Postclassic ; as well as the post European contact Colonial Period (1521-1821), and Postcolonial, or the period after independence from Spain (1821-present).

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