Middle Formative period

E687638

The Middle Formative period was a key Mesoamerican era (roughly 900–400 BCE) marked by the growth of early urban centers, increasing social complexity, and the florescence of cultures such as the Olmec.

All labels observed (1)

Label Occurrences
Middle Formative period canonical 4

How this entity was disambiguated

Statements (62)

Predicate Object
instanceOf Mesoamerican cultural period
archaeological period
alsoKnownAs Middle Preclassic period
linked to: Middle Preclassic
appliesToJurisdiction Mesoamerica
economicActivity bean and squash cultivation
maize agriculture
marine shell trade
obsidian trade
salt production and exchange
endTime circa 400 BCE
fieldOfStudy Mesoamerican archaeology
followedBy Late Formative period
follows Early Formative period
hasCharacteristic development of early writing or proto-writing in some regions
development of regional chiefdoms
emergence of regional art styles
expansion of long-distance trade networks
growth of early urban centers
increased social stratification
increased use of jade and other prestige goods
increasing social complexity
intensification of agriculture
monumental architecture
public ceremonial complexes
widespread use of ceramics
hasNotableSite Ceibal
Cerro de las Mesas
Chalcatzingo
Cuicuilco
El Mirador region
El Opeño
Izapa
Kaminaljuyú
La Blanca
La Venta
Las Bocas
Monte Albán
Nakbé
San José Mogote
San Lorenzo Tenochtitlán
Takalik Abaj
Tlatilco
Tres Zapotes
hasSignificantCulture Central Mexican highlands cultures
Epi-Olmec culture
Gulf Coast cultures
Maya culture
linked to: Maya civilization

Olmec civilization
Valley of Oaxaca cultures
Zapotec culture
partOf Formative period
religiousCharacteristic construction of sacred precincts
development of complex ritual systems
use of ritual offerings in caches
startTime circa 900 BCE
temporalContext first millennium BCE
typicalArchitecture earthen platform mounds
plaza-centered site layouts
stone sculptures and altars
typicalArt Olmec-style monumental heads
incised and painted ceramics
jade figurines and ornaments

How these facts were elicited

Referenced by (4)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Laguna de los Cerros timeOfMajorOccupation Middle Formative period
Tlatilco culturePeriod Middle Formative period
Olmec heartland flourishedDuring Middle Formative period
Olmec head timePeriod Middle Formative period