Traditional+Political+Organization

Traditional Political Organization
The ancient Mayans started out as hunter gatherer groups that did not have much political system. It wasn't until 300 B.C. that the Mayans finally used a system of government ruled by nobles and kings (Michelle Ayache). Since the Mayans started out as groups of families moving around the large area of Yucatan, their developed society also consisted of separate communities of states.

Despite popular belief, Maya was a very aggressive civilization. For example, the first Europeans that made contact with the Mayans were enslaved and sacrificed. This aggressiveness was reflected in their rituals which went along with their political system. There were many conflicts and battles in the Mayan history. These conflicts can be between the states or against a stranger.



Like many ancient political systems around the world, a large part of the Mayan's politics revolve around religion. The appointment of a ruler was thought to be important for the continuing of the Universe. The king would pass down the position to his son so that the reign could continue. Though the ceremonies carried out were slightly different from state to state, there usually some sort of sacrifice involve when a new king was appointed. Usually, after an heir for the throne was born, the king would draw out his own blood and offer it to the ancestor. A human sacrifice have to be made when the heir finally took the throne. After succeeding his father, the new king would have to prove himself to his citizens by capturing a person in battle and offer this prisoner of war to the god in a sacrificial ceremony.



Although rare, sometimes the leader of a state can be female. This female, however, will not be called "ma kina", which is the name for a ruler, by the citizen.

Even with a complicated system of appointing new leaders, historians suggested that Mayan politics were not as important or complex as other aspects of this civilization as there were little words in their vocabulary created to be used for politics, such as officers titles (Rice 2004 pg.17).

Citation Michelle Ayache. The Ancient Maya. Website: [] Rice, Prudence M. (C. 2004). Maya Political Science: Time, Astronomy, and the Cosmos. The University of Texas Press. Ardren, Traci (C. 2002). Ancient Maya Women. AltaMira Press. LEMONICK, MICHAEL D., Mysteries of the Mayans. []