The transition to settled agricultural life began around 900 BCE in the hilly Bolonchen District of the Northern Maya Lowlands. Investigations at the small-scale sites of Xanab Chak and Paso del Macho have identified similar site foundation processes that suggest a shared template for early community organization. However, their growth trajectories began to diverge as small residential clusters gave way to planned civic spaces. Paso del Macho maintained a relatively small central plaza (1600 m2) and only added a small ballcourt late in its occupation, while less than 4 km away, the residents of Xanab Chak constructed an earlier ballcourt, built a large central platform, and expanded their central plaza to over 3000 m2. Comparing the evolution of the two site centers with a few larger acropolis sites like Muluchtzekel and Yaxhom indicates a multi-tiered site hierarchy developed in the region prior to a widespread depopulation near the start of the Late Preclassic Period.