The Maya name for a member of the ruling class was “ Ajaw,” which translates as "Lord." Of course, the most important Ajaw was the king, or "Kuhul Ajaw," the "Divine Lord." As Maya kingdoms grew in size and power, the Kuhul Ajaw needed more and more help to organize and oversee his kingdom. The main leader of each city-state always came from that family and ruled as a king. A hierarchy is a way to organize people or groups so that some are ranked above others according to their status or authority.Īs stated before, each city-state had one noble family that ruled. With more people to govern, more trade to keep track of, and more wars to fight, Maya government took the form of a hierarchy. As cities grew and Maya life became more complex, however, their government became more complex as well. How did the Maya organize their government?īefore the rise of large Maya cities, it was common for a village to be ruled by one of their elders. In other words, the ruling family in each city-state justified their power, authority, and rule by claiming that they were directly related to the gods. įigurine showing the Kuhul Ajaw seated atop his throne. Supposedly, each noble family was a direct descendant of one of the Hero Twins. The job of ruling - of being king - stayed in one family because the Maya believed that the noble family’s right to rule originated with the Hero Twins. A woman could rule if her husband died and left her with a son who was too young to rule, but that situation was rare and usually lasted for only a limited time. When the ruling noble died, his job stayed in the family. However, each city-state had its own king with one noble family in control. In fact, like the ancient Greeks, they thought of themselves as one people. They even wore the same style of clothing. ![]() Like the Greeks, they also had a common written language and social structure. Like the ancient Greeks, Maya city-states were connected through a belief in the same gods, as well as shared religious rituals and myths. In what ways were Maya city-states like those found in ancient Greece? Sometimes city-states also include smaller villages nearby. A city-state consists of a city and the surrounding farmland. Instead, like the ancient Greeks, they were a collection of independent city-states. The Maya were never a true empire existing under the rule of just one king.
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