Of Archaic and Early Preclassic developments -- Patterns in the evolution of Mesoamerican civilization -- 5. The emergence of Maya civilization in the Middle Preclassic -- The emergence of complex societies -- Markers of complex societies -- The Pacific plain in the Middle Preclassic -- Middle Preclassic commodities and monuments -- The highlands in the Middle Preclassic -- The lowlands in the Middle Preclassic -- Middle Preclassic communities -- The rise of complex society in the lowlands -- Further Middle Preclassic developments in the lowlands -- Summary : the Middle Preclassic precursors of Maya civilization -- 6. The origins of Maya states in the Late Preclassic -- Late Preclassic Maya civilization and writing traditions-- The Late Preclassic Isthmian tradition -- The Late Preclassic Southern Maya -- Highland-lowland interaction in the Preclassic -- The Maya lowlands in the Late Preclassic -- Patterns of Late Preclassic rulership -- Preclassic developments in the Northern lowlands -- Late Preclassic lowland Maya civilization -- Decline in the terminal Preclassic -- Summary : reconstructing the Maya Preclassic -- 7. The expansion of Maya states in the Early Classic -- The Early Classic and the origins of Maya civilization -- The Southern Maya area in the Classic Period -- The Classic transition in the lowlands -- The expansion of states in the Maya lowlands -- Competition and warfare in the Classic lowlands -- The Early Classic in the Maya lowlands -- The rise of Tikal in the Early Classic (ca. 100-378) -- Neighboring centers in the central lowlands (ca. 328-416).