Society was organized hierarchically within each Maya Kingdom, including Kings, nobles, warriors, teachers, architects, merchants, administrators, artisans, laborers, and farmers. Bas-relief carving of Mayan kings in Palenque, Chiapas, Mexico. The principles of kingship dominated Maya life for the next thousand years. However, the late Preclassic period witnessed the rise of ahau, or high kings, and the rise of kingdoms throughout the Maya land. They preferred tribal confederacies that did not recognize any power above their village patriarchs. On the other hand, most of the lowland Maya resisted the pressure to conform. The southern Maya in the mountain valleys decided to unite under high-ranking chiefs of kings. Editorial credit: Yasemin Olgunoz Berber / īy the Middle Preclassic period, Olmec beliefs about hierarchical methods to organize society had probably influenced the Maya population. Maya Society A panoramic view of The Palace complex in Palenque ancient Mayan ruins, Chiapas, Mexico. By the time the Spaniards conquered the area in the early 16th century, most of the Maya had become village-dwelling agriculturists. During the Post-Classic Period (950-1539), cities like Uxmal and Itza flourished for several centuries after the great lowland cities had become depopulated. Some scholars think it was due to armed conflicts and exhaustion of the agricultural land. After 900 A.D., the Classic Maya civilization declined, leaving significant cities like Tikal and Bonampak ceremonial centers vacant and overgrown with jungle vegetation. At the height of the Classic Period of Mayan culture, Mayan civilization consisted of more than 40 cities with a population ranging from 5,000 to 50,000. The rise of the Maya began around 250 A.D. The Maya had one of the greatest civilizations of the Western Hemisphere before the Spanish conquest of Mexico and Central America. Brief History Ancient Maya Statue on the rocks near the ocean. They were known to put a lot of effort into elaborate and highly decorated ceremonial architecture, including palaces, temple-pyramids, and observatories, all of which were built without metal tools. The people of Maya developed logosyllabic scripts, mathematics, astronomy, and calendrical systems. and lived an agricultural, village-based life. There are now indications that the Maya people had migrated from North America to the highlands of Guatemala, perhaps as long as 2600 B.C. Mesoamerica spans five countries, Guatemala, Belize, Mexico, El Salvador, and Honduras. It is recommended to check with the tour operator or your cruise line for specific options and schedule.The Maya is probably the most famous civilization among the classical civilizations of Mesoamerica.
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