The Maya political system was in no way a democracy, but a class society with strong political power in the hands of a hereditary elite.

It is very important to understand how this class society worked. At the top where the nobles (almehen), who had private lands and held the more important political offices, as well as filling the roles of high-ranking warriors, wealthy farmers and merchants, and clergy. They nobles where subdivided into two groups. The AHKINOOB was the group formed by the clergy, they where of the highest ranking, and where also called "Men of the Sun". The other group was the ALMEHENOB, they where the important warriors and wealthy farmers, who owned huge territories.

The merchants where also sometimes identified as noblemen, but to be more accurate they where really some sort of intermediate group between the common people and the nobles. The level of their class was mostly determined by the quantity of their fortune.

The commoners or UINICOOB, sometimes owned small stretches of land in which they could do farming and build milpas. There is some indication that they could also work the private lands of the nobles, but in a higher level than the slaves. They could also become artisans.

And at the bottom where the slaves or PPENTACOOB, most of which were prisoners of war subjected to the knife. The delinquents who where caught where also condemned to slavery. Slavery was also hereditary.

In Mayan society, every adult had two names. The first came from his mother, but could only be transmitted from women to their offspring, that is, in the female line. The second derived from the father, and similarly was exclusively passed on in the male line. The second name (patrilineage), was used for inheritance and property issues of the sort. And the first, was used mainly for the marriage regulation system.

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