FIRST CONTACTS 28000 BCE 1821 CE
MESOAMERICAN CIVILIZATIONS THE OLMECS TO CORTES
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Question
[CLICK ON ANY CHOICE TO KNOW THE RIGHT ANSWER]
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True
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False
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Either A or B
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None of the above
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Detailed explanation-1: -Maya society was rigidly divided between nobles, commoners, serfs, and slaves. The noble class was complex and specialized. Noble status and the occupation in which a noble served were passed on through elite family lineages.
Detailed explanation-2: -The highest class was made up of the nobility. Aside from the king, nobles included priests, scribes, government officials, and elite warriors. The middle class was made up of the craftsmen, traders, weavers, potters, and other warriors. At the bottom of the social order were farmers, other workers, and slaves.
Detailed explanation-3: -The highest ancient Mayan social class included a single centralized leader known as the king or Kʼuhul ajaw, who was most often a man but occasionally a woman. The king’s power derived from religion and control over resources, and this power was reinforced by other elites, including merchants.
Detailed explanation-4: -At the bottom of society sat the commoners and slaves. Subject to the rule of the nobles and priests, commoners spent their days as farmers, architects, stonecutters, and carpenters, laboring to support not only themselves but also those above them. Maya architectural splendor can be credited to the commoners.