Abstract :
Ancient Mesoamerican polities are an important source of data for considerations of state development, despite internal debate over
their size and complexity. We review complex political units, usually referred to as “states” and “empires,” in ancient Mesoamerica and
reach the following conclusions: these polities tended to be hegemonic, rather than territorial, in composition; they melded ritual and
political action; and they utilized the ruler as a symbol of the “body politic.”We also note the apparently larger size of most Maya polities
as compared to other Mesoamerican city-states. Besides reviewing the commonalities among ancient Mesoamerican states, we also
highlight the variation among these polities and the need to consider historic and archaeological data contextually in making
interpretations of political structure.
