Facts about the government
- The government was the kings and the rulers
- One family was the leaders
- Once the king dies,The king's son will take his place.
- There was one family that ruler and were said to be descendants of the Hero Twins
- There were powerful councils of the leader who ran government
- The position of king was usually chosen by the oldest son. If there wasn't a son then the oldest brother became king. However, there were also many cases of women rulers.
- Commoners had to pay taxes in order to support the kings and the nobles.
- The Maya nobles were also subject to the law. If a noble was found guilty of a crime, they were often punished even more than a commoner.
- Sometimes when the king and nobles publicly appeared, his servants would hold a cloth over his face so the commoners could not see him.
- Commoners were not allowed to wear the clothing or symbols of the nobles
- One noble family controlled each city. When the ruling noble died, his job passed to his son.The noble families’ right to rule originated with the Hero Twin.
There was a ruler name Hunac Ceel.He was the ruler of Mayapan who declared war against the Yucatan mayan empire which they lost later on so they became a part of the Yucatan empire.The Yucatan empire was separted into 19 cities and each city had a ruler. The leaders of the government were the priests and they ran for government. They managed the cities, led ceremonies and preformed many jobs.
The leaders
who were the ones who led and executed the laws in the Mayan cities?
Priests: The priests were said to be the Gods' slaves. The priests had a lot of power over the Mayan civilization because they could talk to the gods and people were afraid of making the gods unhappy because they could curse the city so the city couldn't grow enough food. Or they could curse the city to have bad luck or to have bad diseases. So the people were very respectful to the priests and they were very serious about their religion.
Also the priests had a very big role to play in the city. They controlled the peoples daily lives just like the king. They controlled who should be sacrificed, how much food should be given to the gods, when they should plant crops, who you should marry, etc. Lastly, they also had to make sure that the Mayans were doing the right things in the city.
The priests had a very big job. They feared that they would be cursed if they had broken the rules.
Kings: The kings were the the rulers of the Mayan cities. There was one ruler per city. One family ruled per city.One family ruled forever. Once the king died, his son or oldest son would take his place as the new king. The royal families were said to be direct descendants of the Hero Twins. The kings were also in charge of making sure that the Mayans were doing the right thing. If they weren't, they would make a new law to solve the problem.
Judges: The judges were very important people who were the heads of the Mayan trials. The evidence was shown to the judge. It didn't matter if you were a noble, a priest, or a commoner. If you had committed a crime and you were found guilty, you would be punished according to what crime you did. For example, if you committed a very serious crime, or if you broke a very serious law, you could be put to death or maybe you would have your possessions taken away from you and your family. If you committed a smaller crime,or broke a less serious law, you would have to cut your hair short as a sign of disgrace. The invention of having trials was very good because then they could find the truth. Also, the Mayan cities had a lot more peace and it was fair for the people who were accused of committing a crime even if they didn't.
(Push the button to return to the Home section)
Also the priests had a very big role to play in the city. They controlled the peoples daily lives just like the king. They controlled who should be sacrificed, how much food should be given to the gods, when they should plant crops, who you should marry, etc. Lastly, they also had to make sure that the Mayans were doing the right things in the city.
The priests had a very big job. They feared that they would be cursed if they had broken the rules.
Kings: The kings were the the rulers of the Mayan cities. There was one ruler per city. One family ruled per city.One family ruled forever. Once the king died, his son or oldest son would take his place as the new king. The royal families were said to be direct descendants of the Hero Twins. The kings were also in charge of making sure that the Mayans were doing the right thing. If they weren't, they would make a new law to solve the problem.
Judges: The judges were very important people who were the heads of the Mayan trials. The evidence was shown to the judge. It didn't matter if you were a noble, a priest, or a commoner. If you had committed a crime and you were found guilty, you would be punished according to what crime you did. For example, if you committed a very serious crime, or if you broke a very serious law, you could be put to death or maybe you would have your possessions taken away from you and your family. If you committed a smaller crime,or broke a less serious law, you would have to cut your hair short as a sign of disgrace. The invention of having trials was very good because then they could find the truth. Also, the Mayan cities had a lot more peace and it was fair for the people who were accused of committing a crime even if they didn't.
(Push the button to return to the Home section)