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Gillespie, S. D., & Joyce, R. A. (1998). DEITY RELATIONSHIPS IN MESOAMERICAN COSMOLOGIES: The case of the Maya God L. Ancient Mesoamerica, 9(2), 279–296. http://www.jstor.org/stable/26308020

Houston, & Stuart, D. (1996). Of gods, glyphs and kings: divinity and rulership among the Classic Maya. Antiquity, 70(268), 289–312. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0003598X00083289

L. Schele and M. Miller, The Blood of Kings: Dynasty and Ritual in Maya Art 1986:36, Fig. 12; 121, Plate 33

Alexander Parmington. (2003). Classic Maya Status and the Subsidiary “Office” of Sajal: A comparative study of status as represented in costume and composition in the iconography of monuments. Mexicon, 25(2), 46–53.

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Object: Leiden Plaque
Location: Tikal
Date: Early Classic Period

This is an inscription that was done during the early classic period. Before looking at this image it is important to be able to understand its meaning. First we must start off by stating the fact that impersonation in Mayan culture was important because of its significance as far as ritualistic means. They believed that by impersonating these powerful individuals, such as the water god, sun god, etc. it would make their rituals that much stronger when conducting them. They did this in times of drought, when crops were not growing and other times of hardship. Not only were they used as means of impersonation for help, but they also believed that it could summon these deities so they could be witnesses/participants during royals ceremonies. The inscription I chose above is a great example because it is showing the ascension to a higher position and maybe even a successor becoming a king in mayan culture. The individual has what looks to be trophy heads around his waist, most likely a sign of his victories over other rulers. Also he has a really big head dress which is usually a sign of royalty. While also carrying what looks like a two headed serpent which is usually a characteristic that the sun god carries with him. Therefore, showing how the sun god could be part of what makes him so powerful as a ruler. Ultimately, divinity and rulership can be quite complicated but they always make sure to pay respects to their gods and gain their power from them.

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Object: Tablet
Location: Palenque, Temple
Date: The Classic Period

This tablet shows just what royal individuals had to do in order to become enthroned. In this tablet it is being shown the ancestral history of Pakal the Great's son (Kan-Balam). This inscription shows how he had to perform a ritual to be able to go to the underworld in order to receive his father's blessing as he was about to become king/ruler. As shown in the picture Pakal and his son are being separated by a world tree and the celestial bird. This being an example of he is able to become connected with his father through sacred ritual. Kan-Balam would become the successor to his father's throne just months after his death. Kan-balam's story goes to show just how even though his father had passed he had to receive his blessing before becoming the next ruler of his father's kingdom. Also it is important to note that they had the principal bird deity as a witness to this new change of power. It is as if the bird deity also is the thing making their passing of the torch moment. The world tree being in between them also shows how it is possible that they are able to come in contact with each other. As the world tree is believed to not only be a symbol of the universe, but it was also seen as a form of communication between the three levels of earth. This tablet and its inscriptions is another example of the forms of divinity and rulership in Mayan culture.

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Object: Ceramic Vase
Found: Vicinity of Naranjo
Date: Late Classic Period

This vase was a representation for an actual God and supernatural deities during this time period. It clearly shows various individuals with non-human like faces gathering around in some sort of meeting. The glyphs in between the individuals all have the "K'U" symbol, which in Mayan culture meant God/"God of". The list included various Gods, with the "K'U" symbol in front of it. This glyph was a sign of divinity that no ruler/elite could obtain because this was only for those of true divinity. Furthermore, this vase could be recognized as a story of creation because of all the various God's coming together at one time. As it is shown on this vase there is one God above all, with two other sets of three (Gods) listening to him or paying attention to him. His throne shows his authority above these six other individuals, as he is placed above and they are kneeling. Another important detail to pay attention to is what the other six deities are wearing, which are long loin cloths. This could be an indication of them being travelers or even yet these individuals could all be rulers of their respective areas. This could also be a way of showing a ritual that these six individuals are conducting in order to come in contact with this God. This vase is a representation of how Mayan culture depicted their rulers meeting with such a powerful force/God. These types inscriptions help us to understand the relationships between deities and humans.

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Object: Glyph
Found: Palenque, Temple 19
Date: Late Classic Period

This symbol was a representation of what was supposed to be below an "AJAW"/Lord. During the late classic period it was seen more and more due to the fact AJAW was being given to various people which led to saturation of the title. Therefore, in order to balance things out they needed to have someone below them. These individuals served as a type of governor to small cities, where they would care for small sections of kingdoms. They were nobles and as such they were to hold subordinate offices to their higher ups. This title was meant to better balance out power systems between various individuals, as there could only be one ruler. These individuals were also born into this, but they had to go through rituals of enthronement in order to receive their right to be a "Sajal", so it was not as easy as becoming a ruler and took a more work. These individuals were to be considered elite court members who held high status levels, but they were not as highly ranked as rulers. It was also known that their could be a "ba"-sajal", which basically meant the head sajal. This was not used as much with Ajaw, but most likely because there could only be one ruler. Thus, letting us know that even though there could only be one ruler, it was still possible to have multiple sajal's during this time period. They still had very much political power. Also these titles were given to people in order to have spatial disposition throughout their kingdom.

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Object: Glyph
Found: Palenque, Temple 19
Date: Early Classic Period
This symbol was used as a form of representation for elites in Mayan society during the early classic period. Individuals who were considered lords/rulers had this symbol near them when being represented in inscriptions. It was believed that these individuals had some sort of tie to "supernatural" beings, allowing for them to be seen as vessels for these Gods. Therefore, they were in charge of sacred rituals and would wear things such as headdresses, jade, and various types of jewelry that would indicate their status and why they were among the elites. These individuals had to be born into these roles as stated earlier that they had a caste system. Only their offsprings could become their successors, therefore only allowing family to be be considered as an "Ajaw" Royalty was pre-destined as everyone who was able to have the "Ajaw" title was royalty by birth. This was the highest ranking title during the Early Classic Period and these individuals were the ones who could make or break their communities. An example of this could be the popular rulers such as "Pakal the Great" who was the longest ruler ever in the Mayan world. "Ajaw" was one of the earliest known terms/symbols of elites. Furthermore, individuals who held this title were seen as more poetic and more well refined compared to others. It was believed that they were very well deserving of their roles. As time went on this title became saturated and therefore lead to it not being as powerful of a title as it once was. This led to a paradoxically society and forced them to create lower ranks.

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The ancient Mayan civilization is full interesting concepts that can still be seen today, as far social class goes. They had a hierarchical system that divided its people into separate categories based on social class. The hierarchal system they had was what is known as a "caste system", A caste system is based on hereditary transmission system, which means that everyone in their society was born into their social class with no choice. In this system you are required to marry within your own social class, with little to no flexibility to ever move up.This means that if you are born a peasant, you will stay a peasant. While if your father is a ruler, you will be his successor and also become a ruler. Women had a bit more freedom when it came to what they could do, but they were also restricted to staying within their social class. This system was divided into three categories; Upper, Middle, and Lower class. Upper class being Rulers, priests and nobles. Rulers being the highest level as they were seen as being related to the Gods or some how connected to them. They stood out from the rest of society because they could perform specific rituals and were like mediators between the people and the gods. Priests and nobles were also part of the upper class because of what they offered society. Priests were the only ones capable of reading and many times, they could even tell prophecies of the future to individuals. Priests were basically the keepers of knowledge and would keep track of many things such as calendars, instructing nobles, and even divining rulers. Nobles were part of just about any part of government, usually very wealthy individuals. Then came the middle class which was made up of common people such as soldiers and merchants. The lower class was made up of slaves and peasants. Mayan social classes seemed simple, but also very complex as it had many paradoxes occur. An example of this would be how rulers were related to Gods, but when they died it was clear that they were merely mortal and nowhere near actual gods. They were a type of hybrid divinity, both human and god-like. Ultimately, the Maya were a very complex society with strong beliefs that could not be easily broken as their culture would stay relatively the same throughout their timeline, as well as their various kingdoms.