Maya Social Structure
Maya society was rigidly divided between nobles, commoners, serfs, and slaves. The noble
class was complex and specialized. Noble status and the occupation in which a noble served
were passed on through elite family lineages. Nobles served as rulers, government officials,
tribute collectors, military leaders, high priests, local administrators, cacao plantation
managers, and trade expedition leaders. Nobles were literate and wealthy, and typically
lived in the central areas of Maya cities.
Commoners worked as farmers, laborers, and servants. It is believed that some commoners
became quite wealthy through their work as artisans and merchants, and that upward
mobility was allowed between classes through service in the military. Regardless,
commoners were forbidden from wearing the clothes and symbols of nobility, and could not
purchase or use luxury and exotic items. Commoners generally lived outside the central
areas of towns and cities and worked individual and communal plots of land.
The Maya had a system of serfdom and slavery. Serfs typically worked lands that belonged
to the ruler or local town leader. There was an active slave trade in the Maya region, and
commoners and elites were both permitted to own slaves. Individuals were enslaved as a
form of punishment for certain crimes and for failing to pay back their debts. Prisoners of
war who were not sacrificed would become slaves, and impoverished individuals sometimes
sold themselves or family members into slavery. Slavery status was not passed on to the
children of slaves. However, unwanted orphan children became slaves and were sometimes
sacrificed during religious rituals. Slaves were usually sacrificed when their owners died so
that they could continue in their service after death. If a man married a slave woman, he
became a slave of the woman's owner. This was was also the case for women who married
male slaves.
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The top of the society was large and complex, consisting of the
ruler, his family, their retainers, courtiers, and priests. Others,
including the most skilled and influential architects, merchants, and
craftsmen were also part of the noble elite, providing their skills
were useful to the ruler.
In both the priesthood and the ruling class, nepotism was apparently
the prevailing system under which new members were chosen.
Primogeniture was the form under which new kings were chosen as
the king passed down his position to his son. After the birth of a
heir, the kings performed a blood sacrifice by drawing blood from
his own body as an offering to his ancestors. A human sacrifice was
then offered at the time of a new king's installation in office. To be a
king, one must have taken a captive in a war and that person is then
used as the victim in his accession ceremony. This ritual is the most
important of a king's life as it is the point at which he inherits the
position as head of the lineage and leader of the city. The religious
explanation that upheld the institution of kingship asserted that
Maya rulers were necessary for continuance of the Universe.
Religion was an important part of Mayan life that regulated almost
everything. Priests were considered to Be the most important out of
all the people in the Mayan tribes. They were usually the ruling
chiefs and only they were educated to know all of what their gods
meant (rituals, prayer, etc.).
Each large city had one supreme chief who usually ruled over the
city and the surrounding region for life. Upon his death, a son or
brother took over. In some cases, the ruler's wife might be next in
line. If no family successor was available, a new ruler was selected
from the upper class. Each Mayan city or state also had several less
important chieftains, who served jobs somewhat like our mayors.
These men might have other occupations (other than a chieftain).
They were considered the "leaders" of their Mayan city and they
were also responsible for leading their people. Chieftains also served
as judges and were held responsible for the consequences that
applied for certain crimes. A thief became the servant of his victim.
The murderers were put to death, sometimes as part of ritual
sacrifice. For minor crimes, a criminal's hair was cut off as a sign of
disgrace. There was a somewhat big separation between the life of
the ruling class and that of the common people. Certain luxury
items, such as jade, feathers, and jaguar pelts, were only to be used
by members ruling class. It was the commoner's job to provide these
items as offerings. When members of the upper class traveled,
workers were expected to carry them in litters.
Warriors were a separate class, whose main goal was to capture
enemy prisoners. Sometimes farmers and other members of the
lower class were forced to serve as soldiers. Captured enemy
soldiers became slaves. Defeated officers became human sacrifices.
Armies did not begin fighting until after an elaborate religious
ceremony. Warriors wore feathered headdresses, and many carried
bright pennants. In battle, soldiers carried shields made from thick
animal hide. The warriors fought with wooden clubs, flint knives,
spears, and slingshots. Warriors were also known to use hornet
bombs, in which a hornet's nest was thrown into a group of enemy
soldiers. All fighting stopped each evening, and there was a truce
that lasted till morning. If any armies commander was wounded or
killed, his army retreated and the battle ended.
Beneath the noble rank were the general specialists, artisans,
craftspeople, managers, and bureaucrats. These groups were ranked
in importance and parallel the middle class of our society, only it
was more difficult in the Mayan society to move up or within a
group than it is today.
Below the middle class were the essential service people; all the
people responsible for making the city run. Information on these
people is sketchy and has little supporting data.
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