Mayan culture refers to that of a Mesoamerican civilization that stood out over 18 centuries in numerous socio-cultural aspects such as its hieroglyphic writing, one of the few fully developed writing systems of the pre-Columbian American continent, its art, architecture and its remarkable numbering systems, as well as astronomy, mathematics and understanding of ecology. It was developed in Guatemala and southeastern Mexico, also in Belize, the western part of Honduras and in El Salvador.
Unlike the Aztecs and Incas, the Mayan political system never incorporated the entire Mayan cultural area into a single state or empire. Rather, throughout its history, the Maya area was made up of a mixture of variable political complexity that included both states and cacicazgos. The links between these political entities fluctuated enormously, since they were involved in a complex network of rivalries, periods of domination or submission, vassalage and alliances. Occasionally, some political entities achieved regional dominance, such as Calakmul, El Caracol, Mayapán, and Tikal. The first reliable evidence of the existence of political entities in the Maya lowlands dates back to the ninth century BC. C. During the Late Preclassic, the Mayan political system evolved into a theopolitical form, where elite ideology justified the authority of the ruler, and was reinforced by the public display of rituals and religion. The divine king was the center of political power, and exercised absolute control over the administrative, economic, judicial and military functions of the political entity. The divine authority of the ruler was such that the king had the power to mobilize both the aristocracy and the plebeians for the execution of major construction projects, apparently without resorting to a police force or a permanent army. Some political entities used the strategy of expanding administration and filling administrative positions with loyal followers rather than blood relatives. Within a political entity, medium-sized population centers would have played a key role in the management of resources and the management of internal conflicts.
