Acanceh was probably first occupied in the Late Preclassic period (ca 2500-900 BC), but the site reached its apogee in the Early Classic period of AD 200/250-600. Many elements of its architecture, like the talud-tablero motif of the pyramid, its iconography, and ceramic designs have suggested to some archaeologists a strong relationship between Acanceh and Teotihuacan, the important metropolis of Central Mexico.
Because of these similarities, some scholars propose that Acanceh was an enclave or colony, of Teotihuacan; others suggest that the relationship was not of political subordination but rather the result of stylistic imitation.