| Periods in Mesoamerican history |
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The Archaic period, also known as the preceramic period,[1] is a period in Mesoamerican chronology that begins around 8000 BCE and ends around 2000 BCE and is generally divided into Early, Middle, and Late Archaic periods.[2] The period is preceded by the Paleoindian (or Lithic) period and followed by the Preclassic period.[2] Scholars have found it difficult to determine exactly when the Paleoindian period ends and the Archaic begins, but it is generally linked with changing climate associated with the transition from the Pleistocene to the Holocene epochs, and absence of extinct Pleistocene animals.[1][3] It is also generally unclear when the Archaic period ends and the Preclassic period begins, though the appearance of pottery, large-scale agriculture, and villages signal the transition.[1][3]
The Archaic period is traditionally viewed as a long, transitional interval between the hunter-gatherers of the Paleoindian period and the proliferation of agricultural villages in the Preclassic.[1] This period is known for the domestication of major Mesoamerican crops, the development of agriculture, and the beginning of sedentism.[1] The major developments in agriculture and sedentism during this time allowed for the rise of complex societies in the region.[4][5] These developments were not uniform throughout Mesoamerica and often differed regionally.[1]
Most Archaic sites are not very well preserved or visible, which hampers archaeologists' ability to discover and study Archaic period sites.[6] As a result, not many Archaic sites have been identified, although major sites like Guilá Naquitz and Colha have been explored by archaeologists.[7] Most known Archaic sites are in the Mesoamerican highlands or along the coasts, though there are sites throughout the region.[5]