Social Classes Of The Maya Society

The Mayas were the first civilization in the Americas. As such, due to a surplus in agricultural production, some accumulated wealth. As a result, social classes emerged. In addition to kings and ruling families, Maya society included a large class of priests who maintained an elaborate calendar and transmitted knowledge of writing, astronomy, and mathematics. A hereditary nobility owned most land and cooperated with the kings and the priests by organizing military forces and participating in religious rituals. Maya merchants also came from the ruling and noble classes, because they served not only as traders but also as ambassadors to neighboring lands and allied peoples. Maya society also generated several other distinct social classes. Professional

The game usually involved teams of two to four members apiece. Its object was for players to score points by propelling a rubber ball through a ring or onto a marker without using their hands. The Maya used a solid rubber ball about 20 centimeters (8 inches) in diameter, which was both heavy and hard. Players needed great dexterity and skill to maneuver it accurately using only their feet, legs, hips, torso, shoulders, or elbows. The game was extremely popular: almost all Maya ceremonial centers, towns, and cities had stone-paved courts on which players performed publicly. The Maya played the ball game for several reasons. Sometimes individuals competed for sporting purposes, and sometimes the game was used as a ritual that honored the conclusion of treaties. High-ranking captives often engaged in forced public competition in which the stakes were their very lives: losers became sacrificial victims and faced torture and execution immediately following the match. Alongside some ball courts were skull racks that bore the decapitated heads of losing players. Thus Maya concerns to please the gods by shedding human blood extended even to the realm of