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The Maya class of the priests is sometimes thought to have emerged from a pre-existing network of shamans as social complexity grew. The classic Siberian shaman is characterised by his intimate relationship with one or several helper spirits, 'ecstatic' voyages into non-human realms, and often operates individually, on behalf of his clients.
The most important source on traditional Maya religion is the Mayas themselves: the incumbents of positions within the religious hierarchy, diviners, and tellers of tales. More generally, all those persons who shared their knowledge with outsiders in the past, as well as anthropologists and historians who studied them and continue to do so.
Classic Mayan material culture may provide possible indicators of social stratification within Classic Mayan society. Aspects of housing structure remain, such as the type of building material used during construction and the absence or presence of decoration on the outside of the structure, may indicate the occupant's social standing. [2]
The 16th-century Maya priesthood was headed by a high priest who instructed the other priests and advised the king. Kahuna Nui, presides over the temple or heiau. Below the Kahuna Nui are various types and ranks of priests. In Nichiren Shoshu Buddhism, the High Priest is considered to be successor to Nichiren, through the lineage of Nikko Shonin.
A Classic period Maya polity was a small kingdom (ajawil, ajawlel, ajawlil) headed by a hereditary ruler – ajaw, later kʼuhul ajaw. [5] Both terms appear in early Colonial texts including Papeles de Paxbolón [6] where they are used as synonyms for Aztec and Spanish terms for rulers and their domains.
The relevance of modern Dark Rift observations to pre-Columbian and traditional Maya beliefs is strongly debated, and academic archaeologists reject all theories regarding extraterrestrial contact, but it is clear that the promotion of Mayanism through interest in 2012 is contributing to the evolution of religious syncretism in contemporary ...
During the 6th and 7th centuries in Mesoamerica, there was an evident shift in the roles women played in ancient Maya society as compared with the previous two centuries. It was during this time that there was a great deal of political complexity seen both in Maya royal houses as well as in the Maya area.
Chronicle of the Maya Kings and Queens: Deciphering the Dynasties of the Ancient Maya. London and New York: Thames & Hudson. ISBN 0-500-05103-8. OCLC 47358325. Schele, Linda; and Peter Mathews (1999). "Tikal: Toh-Chak-Ich'ak's Palace". In The Code of Kings: The Language of Seven Sacred Maya Temples and Tombs. New York, US: Touchstone. pp. 63–94.