The two time periods overlap due to the gradual transition of several groups in the region from being a separate archaically developed people to adopting local culture and technology that was distinctly Maya . It was also during the Preclassic period that the Maya developed a greater interest in art and began some manufacturing activity. A number of preclassic Maya pottery and clay figures fired in primitive kilns survive to this day. Many of these clay and ceramic artifacts, which date back more than four thousand years, provide us with clues to their origin and purpose. Indicators of how advanced the growth of their technology was. The process of using buildings as a means of recording history also began to develop during the preclassic Maya era. A very distinct Maya culture with religious beliefs and practices, as well as shared technologies, began to form and progress rapidly during the Preclassic period. Public ceremonies and rites begin to take place during the Preclassic period. During this period, the creation of burial rites for the dead began. The Mayan civilization continued to grow and advance into the classical period, where it reached its peak of development around 200-250 AD. Still almost two thousand years before contact with