Uncontacted contemporaries · 570 overlapping years

Postclassic Maya (Chichén Itzá era) Chimú Kingdom

For 570 years — from 900 CE to 1470 CE — both civilizations existed simultaneously. Neither this dataset nor the historical record shows any documented trade, war, or diplomatic contact between them.

900 CE 1524 CE

Postclassic Maya (Chichén Itzá era)

900 CE–1524 CE

Chimú Kingdom

900 CE–1470 CE

↑ Overlap begins, 900 CE

Postclassic Maya (Chichén Itzá era)

Northern Yucatán

The northern Maya world that flourished for centuries after the southern lowland cities of the Classic era were abandoned.

Chimú Kingdom

Northern coastal Peru

A coastal Andean kingdom whose adobe capital, Chan Chan, was the largest city of its kind before falling to the Inca.

Traits both developed independently

With no documented contact, any shared trait below represents independent development rather than transmission from one to the other.

Monumental architecture Irrigation agriculture Standing army Long-distance trade Urban planning Seafaring

Postclassic Maya (Chichén Itzá era) only

Astronomical record-keeping

Chimú Kingdom only

Bronze metallurgy