Uncontacted contemporaries · 531 overlapping years

Postclassic Maya (Chichén Itzá era) Khmer Empire

For 531 years — from 900 CE to 1431 CE — both civilizations existed simultaneously. Neither this dataset nor the historical record shows any documented trade, war, or diplomatic contact between them.

802 CE 1524 CE

Postclassic Maya (Chichén Itzá era)

900 CE–1524 CE

Khmer Empire

802 CE–1431 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.

Khmer Empire

Southeast Asia

Centered on the temple-city of Angkor, this empire built what remains the largest religious monument on Earth.

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 Astronomical record-keeping Urban planning

Postclassic Maya (Chichén Itzá era) only

Seafaring

Khmer Empire only

Bronze metallurgy
Iron metallurgy