Mesoamerican art (art of Mexico and Central America) is divided into three main categories:

• The Pre-Classic Period: c. 1200 B.C.E.- 300 C.E.
• Classic Period: c. 300–950
• Post-Classic Period: c. 950–1521

The Post-Classic Period ended quite suddenly, when the major indigenous empires of the Americas fell to the Spanish Conquistadores led by Hernán Cortés.