Final answer:
The Pre-Classic Mayan civilization included branches such as agriculture, architecture, and trade. They expanded their territories, created monumental architecture, and established a foundation for their sophisticated culture, which would flourish in the Classic period.
Step-by-step explanation:
The branches of the Pre-Classic Mayan culture can be broadly understood through their advancements in various fields during 2000 BCE to 400 BCE. The Mayans of this era were primarily agriculturalists who utilized the fertile lowlands of western Mesoamerica and progressively became notable for their architecture and trade practices. They built towering temples and expanded northward due to population growth, harnessing tropical rainforests and rivers to build canals and irrigation systems, which sustained their burgeoning population. Chiefs ruled a many-god society and maintained authority through rituals and feasts.
During the Middle Pre-Classic period, the Maya began to trade with the Olmec, leveraging their skill in agriculture and engineering. They were also known for making clay pottery with simple designs and carving stone stele to portray their rulers. These advancements and trades formed the foundation for the later, more developed Classic Maya period, characterized by the construction of major city-states like Tikal, Palenque, and Copan, and advanced cultural practices like writing, astronomy, and mathematics.