Formas de organización social entre los Mayas: Hipótesis acerca de las diferencias en la organización socio-política entre los Mayas de tierras altas y bajas

Abstract

Notwithstanding social anthropologist’s perception of "the Maya” as a homogenous group, serious doubts about that are allowed. The sociopolitical organization of the Maya in highland Guatemala and Chiapas is very different from that in the lowland of Yucatan. Well known is the cargo system of the highlands and also that it does not exist in Yucatan. In this essay I will outline briefly the historic development of both regions. Then I will present arguments to explain the differences in the socio-political organization in both regions. My thesis is that the differences are best to explain by the interplay of three factors: the environment, the economy and the specific culture of each region.