Postclassic Period

We explore the Postclassic Period, and explain its characteristics and historical context. In addition, we discuss major civilizations of this period, and more.

What is the Postclassic Period?

The Postclassic Period corresponds to the last stage of pre-Columbian history of the Americas, between 900 AD and 1521 AD.

This stage was characterized by the militarism of Mesoamerican cultures and the rise of centralized states in the Andean region. Among the main civilizations of the Postclassic Period were the Maya, Incas, and Aztecs.

• See also: Mesoamerican civilizations

Timeline of pre-Columbian cultures in the Americas

The Postclassic Period followed the Classic Period (200-900 AD). It is divided into two stages:

• Early Postclassic (900-1200 AD). During this stage, the Mixtec and Toltec cultures flourished in Mesoamerica, and the Maya city of Chichén Itzá established its dominance in the Yucatán Peninsula.
• Late Postclassic (1200-1521 AD). This stage was marked by the rise of the Aztec Empire in the Valley of Mexico and the Inca Empire in the Central Andes. In addition, the Maya city-state of Mayapán consolidated its power over Chichén Itzá.

Characteristics of the Postclassic Period

The Postclassic Period was characterized by:

• Mesoamerican political instability. Constant warfare over territorial control and political supremacy caused the rise and fall of numerous cultures.
• Imperial development. Over time, victorious militaristic states, such as the Aztec Empire, became dominant. This implied the development of a state apparatus capable of controlling and administering conquered peoples, to which they imposed the payment of tributes and services.
• Defensive architecture. In the war-torn Mesoamerican context, urban centers developed defensive architecture. Several cities built walls around them, as well as trenches and storage spaces to survive in the event of war.
• Rise of warrior classes. Growing militarism linked ruling elites to warfare. The leaders’ ability to achieve military victories over other peoples conferred them a sacred status.
• Prosperity of merchant groups. The consolidation of trade routes and the deepening of social hierarchies within Mesoamerican societies caused merchant groups to reposition themselves on the social scale. The luxury and exotic goods they brought from distant lands, which the ruling classes used as status symbols, enriched them and allowed them to gain political influence to become part of the ruling class.
• War deities. The cult of warrior gods like Quetzalcoatl (the Feathered Serpent) gained prominence while deities of rain and fertility were relegated.
• Sacrificial ceremonies. New forms of religious worship emerged that were closely tied to military and political autonomy. Human sacrifice became a central element in religious ceremonies, serving both as veneration of the gods and as a symbol of political superiority.
• Population growth. Advances in cultivation techniques led to increased food production, which in turn fueled steady population growth. Tenochtitlán, the Aztec capital, housed over 300,000 inhabitants while the Inca capital Cuzco had more than 200,000 people.

Major civilizations of the Postclassic Period

Among the most prominent civilizations of the Postclassic Period were:

• Maya. They inhabited the Yucatán Peninsula from 2000 BC to 1527 AD. Throughout their history, they established independent city-states with theocratic governments. During the Postclassic Period, the cities of Chichén Itzá and Mayapán consolidated their power within the Maya world.
• Aztecs. They occupied the Valley of Mexico between 1325 and 1521 AD. With the alliance of the cities Tenochtitlán, Texcoco, and Tlacopan, they established a centralized theocratic empire ruled by a tlatoani. Their society was stratified into pipiltin (nobles), macehualtin (commoners), and slaves. They developed an economy based on tributes, agriculture, and trade.
• Mixtecs. They settled in the southern Mesoamerican region in the Preclassic Period, forming independent kingdoms ruled by royal couples. Mixtec culture reached its peak between 950 and 1521 AD, known for its military technology and the participation of women in high political spheres.
• Toltecs. They populated northern Mesoamerica and came to be the dominant culture in the region from 900 to 1100 AD. They founded the city of Tollan-Xicocotitlan (modern-day Tula), a multiethnic militarist city-state, and exerted significant influence on other cultures in the region. Their primary language is believed to have been Nahuatl.
• Incas. They established the largest empire of the pre-Columbian era in South America, inhabiting the Andean region between the 12th and 16th centuries AD. Their empire was theocratic, led by a sacred monarch known as the Sapa Inca. Society was structured in communal kinship groups called ayllus, through which agriculture and agricultural labor was organized. Their principal deities were Viracocha and Inti, whom they worshiped as patrons of humanity and the Inca civilization.

End of the Postclassic Period

The Postclassic Period came to an end with the Spanish conquest. Between 1511 and 1521, the Maya resisted attempts to subdue them. In 1521, Hernán Cortés succeeded in taking over Tenochtitlán, the capital of the Aztec Empire.

From Tenochtitlán, Cortés sent several armies to the Yucatán Peninsula. The European invaders took advantage of the disputes between Maya cities and, around 1546, came to dominate nearly all of the peninsula. Likewise, Francisco Pizarro led the Andean campaign, subduing the Inca Empire in 1533.

Explore next:

• Modernity
• Postmodernism
• Classical antiquity

References

• López Austin, Alfredo; y López Luján, Leonardo (2001): El pasado indígena. México DF: El Colegio de México.
• Boehm de Lameiras, B. (1991). El Estado en Mesoamérica. Estudio sobre su origen y evolución. Revista Española de Antropología Americana, 21, 11.
• Carmack, Robert et. al. (1996): The legacy of Mesoamérica: history and culture of a Native American civilization. Prentice Hall. Nueva Jersey.
• Duverger, Christian (1999): Mesoamérica, arte y antropología. CONACULTA-Landucci Editores. París.
• “The mayan post-classic era” in History on the net.
• “Maya” in History.
• “Posclassic period” in MesoAmerican Research Center.
• “Posclásico tardío” in Revista UNAM.
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