
Society |
| Intro | Class | Goverment | City-States | Family&Farming | Conclusion |
Mayan WomenThis image is in the public domain because its copyright has expired.http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Campechana_por_Charnay.jpg |
ClassMaya society had a very structured class system. At the very top of Maya society was the Ajaw; below him were the nobles and high priests followed by the lower ranked scribes, priests and low government officials. Commoner farmers made up the next class, and in the lowest class were the slaves The significance of the social class was to keep everybody in place, and make people believe that the Ajaw was the supreme ruler and should not be disputed. This helped to prevent outbursts and upheavals in the city by the commoners. A theory of why the Maya vanished was people stopped believing in the Ajaw’s godly powers. |