Prior to the time when the Spaniards first set foot on Mexican soil, this land was home to many of the world’s great civilizations such as the Aztecs, the Mayas, the Toltecs, the Mixtecs, the Zapotecs and the Olmecs. During this time, the Mexican territory was organized into three main regions.

The central region was the one inhabited by the greatest number of people and actually, several different civilizations lived here, including Teotihuacan and Tula, and even the Aztec state known as the Mexicas. The south-eastern region especially in Yucatán was home to the Mayan civilization and the Chichimeca peoples inhabited the northern part of Mexico’s territory.

Pre-Hispanic Mexico is generally divided into three distinct time frames, the Pre-Classical Period, the Classical Period and the Post-Classical Period.