Warfare

Abstract

Abstract The politically fragmented Maya engaged in many wars against each other, some no more than raids for ritual captives and others for all-out destruction of a rival state. For the most part, however, the Maya probably waged war for economic gain through tribute and the control of trade routes. Despite the frequency of warfare, there is little understanding of the status of the military in the ancient Maya world. Even at the time of the Spanish Conquest, when ethnohistoric sources provide the most detailed observations, it is unclear how armies were trained. Although it is known that there were military offices and most of them were the preserve of the nobility, details about the organization of the military or the logistics of supplying troops in faraway battles remain something of a mystery. Battle scenes are depicted in Maya art, although few murals have survived, and wars and battle victories are mentioned in the Classic Period inscriptions, providing some clues as to Maya warfare and its impact on the Maya world.