Periodisation of the history of Belize
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The periodisation of the history of Belize is the division of Belizean, Maya, and Mesoamerican history into named blocks of time, spanning the arrival of Palaeoindians to the present time. The pre-Columbian era is most often periodised by Mayanists, who often employ four or five periods to discuss history prior to the arrival of Spaniards. The Columbian era is most often periodised by historians, and less often by Mayanists, who often employ at least four periods to discuss history up to the present time.
_-_BLZ_-_UNOCHA.svg)
Columbian
Periods
The Columbian era of Belizean history is most often divided into four periods, ie the Spanish, Precolonial, Colonial, and Sovereign, all preceded by a portion of the pre-Columbian Postclassic period extending past 1492. These are most often defined or characterised in terms of distinguishing events occurring between each period, ie events separating one period from another, and less often in terms of distinguishing events, trends, or milestones occurring within each period. Generally, there has been less attention paid to the periodisation of the Columbian era of Belizean history, as opposed to its pre-Columbian era, resulting in broad concordance between the upper and lower bounds employed for each period in scholarly literature.[citation needed]
Postclassic
Spanish
The Spanish period is most often characterised as the time span prior to the beginning or end of the Tipu rebellion, 6 June 1638 – 31 December 1643, or to the latest Tipu reducción in 1 January – 31 December 1708.[1][citation needed]
Precolonial
The Precolonial period is most often characterised as the time span running to the date on which the British settlement in the Bay of Honduras was granted a colonial charter, ie 12 February 1862, or the date on which these letters patent were proclaimed, ie 12 May 1862.[2]
Colonial
The Colonial period is most often characterised as the time span running to the passage of the Belize Act in UK Parliament, the Constitution Act in the Belizean Parliament, or the date on which said acts came into force, known as the day on which Belize gained sovereignty or independence from the UK, ie 21 September 1981.[citation needed]
Sovereign
The Sovereign ie Independent period is most often characterised as the time span running to the present.
Table
| No | Name | Sub | Span | Date | Date | Event | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Postclassic |
|
from latest Mayan monumental inscription to earliest Spanish contact or completion of Spanish conquest | 13 January 910 | 13 January 910 | Dedication of Itzimte Stela 6 | cf [note 2] |
| 21 October 1492 | 21 October 1492 | Arrival of Columbus | |||||
| 1 January 1544 | 31 December 1544 | Founding of Bacalar | |||||
| 2 | Spanish |
|
to start of Tipu revolt or abandonment of Bacalar or latest reducción | 6 June 1638 | 7 June 1638 | Start of Tipu revolt | cf [note 3] |
| 30 May 1652 | 31 December 1652 | Abandonment of Bacalar | |||||
| 1 January 1708 | 30 June 1708 | Latest Spanish reducción | |||||
| 3 | Precolonial | – | to granting of colonial charter or to its proclamation | 12 February 1862 | 12 February 1862 | Charter granted | cf [note 4] |
| 12 May 1862 | 12 May 1862 | Charter proclaimed | |||||
| 4 | Colonial | – | to passage of Belize and Constitution Acts or from their enactment | 6 June 1981 | 7 June 1981 | Passage of Belize and Constitution Acts | cf [note 5] |
| 21 September 1981 | 21 September 1981 | Enactment of Belize and Constitution Acts | |||||
| 5 | Sovereign | – | to present | – | – | – | – |
Graph
Top rows display maximal and minimal upper and lower bounds of periods and sub-periods
Bottom rows display standardised or traditional upper and lower bounds periods and sub-periods
Key
Po = Postclassic
So = Sovereign
Table
| Place | Start | Postclassic | Spanish | Precolonial | Colonial | Sovereign | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Belize | 1000 | 1544 | 1648 | 1862 | 1981 | – | cf [3][note 7] |
| Belize | 1000 | 1544 | 1708 | 1862 | 1981 | – | cf [3][note 8] |
| Belize | 1000 | 1521 | 1708 | – | – | – | cf [4][note 9] |
| Belize | 1000 | – | – | 1862 | 1981 | – | cf [5] |
| Belize | – | – | 1638 | 1862 | 1981 | – | cf [6][6][note 10] |
| Belize | – | – | 1650 | 1862 | 1981 | – | cf [6][note 11] |
| Orange Walk | 1000 | 1544 | 1700 | 1862 | 1981 | – | cf [7][note 12] |
Pre-Columbian
Periods
Pre-Columbian Belizean, Maya, and Mesoamerican history is most often divided into five periods, ie the Palaeoindian, Archaic, Preclassic, Classic, and Postclassic. These are most often defined or characterised in terms of distinguishing events or trends occurring within each period, rather than events occurring between each period (ie events separating one period from another).[8] As a result, though the aforementioned sequence is well-established, and despite each period's characterisation being broadly agreed upon, various discordant upper and lower bounds have been employed for each period in scholarly literature, resulting in temporal overlaps and gaps between chronologies. Additionally, the events or trends used to characterise these periods are now known to have occurred at different times in different geographic regions, sub-regions, and settlements, rather than all-at-once across the Maya Region or Mesoamerica.[9] This further adds to the discordance between chronologies employed in scholarly literature, as increasingly localised upper and lower bounds for sub-regional geographic entities are used (in preference to fixed or standardised regional start and end dates).[note 13]
Preceramic
The Preceramic period is most often characterised as the time span prior to the first appearance of ceramics in the relevant geographic region.[citation needed]
Palaeoindian
The Palaeoindian ie Lithic period is most often characterised as the time span during which humans first peopled the Americas.[8] Its start is, furthermore, commonly dated to modern humans' first arrival in the relevant geographic region.[10]
Archaic
The Archaic period is most often characterised as the time span during which non-nomadic farming settlements first appeared in the relevant geographic region.[11]
Preclassic
The Preclassic ie Formative period is most often characterised as the timespan during which socioeconomically complex societies or states first appeared across the relevant geographic region.[12] It was prior thought of as the period which preceded the Classic culmination or florescence of Maya civilisation, ie 'as a precursor to civilisation, but without the attributes of civilisation in its own right.'[13]
Classic
The Classic period is most often characterised as the time span during which the social, economic, political, artistic, and intellectual development of societies or states across the relevant geographic region first peaked or culminated.[14]
Postclassic
The Postclassic is most often characterised as the time span during which societies or states across the relevant geographic region underwent transformation or revival.[15] It was prior thought of as the period which followed the Classic culmination or florescence of Maya civilisation, ie 'as a decline from the Classic peak of civilisation, a time marked by decadence rather than [a Classic-like] era of continued development.'[13]
Though the entire Palaeoindian-to-Postclassic time span is often characterised as pre-Columbian, the Postclassic is most often end dated after 1492.[16]
Table
| No | Name | Sub | Span | Date | Date | Event | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Preceramic |
|
from earliest arrival of modern humans to earliest use or production of ceramics | 11785 cal BC | 11410 cal BC | Death of Naharon I | cf [note 14] |
| 6660 cal BC | 6570 cal BC | Death of unnamed Toledoan | |||||
| 1375 cal BC | 1050 cal BC | Production of unnamed Cunil ceramic | |||||
| 2 | Preclassic |
|
to earliest monumental inscription | 300 cal BC | 200 cal BC | Inscription of Mayan hieroglyphs in Las Pinturas | cf [note 15] |
| 3 | Classic |
|
to latest monumental inscription | 13 January 910 | 13 January 910 | Dedication of Itzimte Stela 6 | cf [note 16] |
| 4 | Postclassic |
|
to earliest Spanish contact or completion of Spanish conquest | 21 October 1492 | 21 October 1492 | Arrival of Columbus | |
| 1 March 1544 | 31 March 1544 | Founding of Bacalar |
Graph
Top rows display maximal and minimal upper and lower bounds of periods and sub-periods
Bottom rows display standardised or traditional upper and lower bounds periods and sub-periods
Key
Pa = Palaeoindian
Po = Postclassic
E = Early
M = Middle
L = Late
T = Terminal
Table
| Place | Start | Preceramic | Preclassic | Classic | Po | Notes | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pa | Ar | E | M | L | T | E | L | T | E | L | |||
| Maya | -12000 | -8000 | -2000 | -1000 | -400 | 100 | 250 | 600 | 800 | 900 | – | 1500 | cf [17] |
| Maya | -12000 | -8000 | -2000 | -1000 | -400 | 100 | 250 | 600 | 800 | 1100 | – | 1500 | cf [17] |
| Mesoamerica | -35000 | -7000 | -2000 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | cf [18] |
| Mesoamerica | -35000 | -9000 | -2000 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | cf [18] |
| Lowlands | – | – | – | – | -400 | – | 250 | 600 | 800 | 900 | – | 1500 | cf [19][note 18] |
| Mesoamerica | – | – | – | -900 | -300 | 1 | 150 | 600 | 790 | 900 | – | – | cf [20] |
| Mesoamerica | – | – | – | -900 | -300 | 1 | 250 | 600 | 790 | 900 | – | – | cf [20] |
| Toledo | -13500 | -8000 | -1500 | -900 | – | – | 250 | – | – | – | – | – | cf [21] |
| Cayo | – | – | – | -1200 | -300 | 1 | 150 | 600 | 800 | 900 | 1200 | 1500 | cf [22] |
| Cayo | – | – | – | -1200 | -300 | 1 | 300 | 600 | 800 | 900 | 1200 | 1500 | cf [22] |
| Mesoamerica | -33050 | -7000 | -2000 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | cf [23] |
| Mesoamerica | -33050 | -9000 | -2000 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | cf [23] |
| Lowlands | – | – | – | – | – | – | 250 | – | – | 900 | – | – | cf [24] |
| Mesoamerica | – | – | – | – | – | – | 300 | – | – | 900 | 1200 | 1521 | cf [25][note 19] |
| Cayo | – | – | -1200 | -900 | -300 | – | 300 | 600 | 800 | 900 | – | – | cf [26][note 20] |
| Belize | – | – | -1500 | -900 | -400 | -100 | 250 | 600 | 800 | 1000 | 1200 | 1544 | cf [3][note 21] |
| Belize | – | – | -1500 | -900 | -400 | -100 | 250 | 600 | 800 | 1000 | 1250 | 1544 | cf [3][note 22] |
| Belize | -11500 | -8000 | -900 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | cf [27][note 23] |
| Belize | -11500 | -8000 | -1200 | -1000 | -400 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | cf [28][note 24] |
| Mesoamerica | -10000 | -8000 | -1500 | – | – | – | 300 | – | – | 900 | – | 1520 | cf [29][30][31] |
| Mesoamerica | – | – | -2000 | -900 | -600 | 1 | 250 | 600 | – | 900 | 1200 | 1521 | cf [32][note 25] |
| Maya | -12000 | -7000 | -2000 | -1000 | -400 | – | 250 | 600 | 900 | 1000 | 1250 | 1521 | cf [33][note 26] |
| Maya | -12000 | -8000 | -2000 | -1000 | -400 | – | 300 | 600 | 900 | 1000 | 1250 | 1521 | cf [33][note 27] |
| Belize | – | -7000 | -2500 | -1000 | -400 | – | 250 | 600 | 800 | 900 | 1250 | 1530 | cf [34] |