Abstract

BIRO, Péter. Politics in the Western Maya Region (III): The Royal and the Non-Royal Elite. Estud. cult. maya [online]. 2012, vol.40, pp.79-96. ISSN 0185-2574.

In a series of articles I reflect on the use of various expressions which are connected to what we call the political in the inscriptions of the Classic Maya Western Region. These words express ideas and conceptualisations which help to understand the intricate details of the interactions between the political entities and their internal organisations in the Classic Maya Lowlands. In this article I investigate the distribution of the non-royal elite titles. I suggest that they indicate different inscriptional genres instead of being signs of the growing power of the secondary elite. Also, they might be the evidence of different historical processes in each region.

Keywords : Classic Maya; epigraphy; kings and nobles; competition.