Instead of unifying their empire, the Mayan civilization had “city-states”. “City-states ruled only the surrounding area, or neighboring states if they were powerful enough” (http://latinamericanhistory.about.com). The idea of ​​“king” was not evident until the late Preclassic period. The Mayan kings claim descent from the gods and planets. “Kings and royal families had important roles in public ceremonies. They channeled their connection with the Gods through sacrifices, dances, spiritual trances and hallucinogenic enemas” (http://latinamericanhistory.about.com). The Maya political system did not fully develop until the Classical era. This system had a four-level political hierarchy, starting with the kings and its major cities. After the major cities came small groups of vassal city-states. The third level in the hierarchy were the affiliated villages. Finally the fourth level, the villages, cities to which he is devoted