Mayan Empires
Unlike the Han and Roman empires, the Mayans cannot be considered an empire because they lacked a centralized, state-level government, had relatively low peace and prosperity, and declined more from environmental issues than internal issues.
One of the necessary preconditions for the rise of an empire is a state-level government; however, the Mayans did not fulfill this requirement and had numerous city-states. The Mayans’ political system was divided into rural communities and urban centers with a noble family controlling each city. The ruling position was hereditary and conducted through marriages to retain peace between city-states. In the Han dynasty, the bureaucracy expanded and remained a primary part of their daily lives. The Mayans did not have a centralized government or a connected government; the cities were independent of one another. As there were constant struggles for power, the Mayans never …show more content…
Although the reasons for the decline are still mysterious, it is almost certain that the environment played a big role. The Mayans were an agricultural civilization and when they had exhausted the soil, the collapse followed. Because the population was growing, it was becoming harder to support the people. Another theory is the occurrence of several droughts, which would have added to the environmental and agricultural problems. However, fall from the environment is not a key idea in the Conrad-Demarest Model of Empires; instead, aspects include the failure of leadership and internal rebellions. During the Rome’s fall, the patricians’ corruption and negligence of civil duties caused uprisings amidst the plebeians and laboring class. In Han China, bureaucrats because began competing for power and assassinated one another. Furthermore, social protests developed and China split up into 3 kingdoms. The Mayans fell not because of political corruption, but because of environmental
One of the necessary preconditions for the rise of an empire is a state-level government; however, the Mayans did not fulfill this requirement and had numerous city-states. The Mayans’ political system was divided into rural communities and urban centers with a noble family controlling each city. The ruling position was hereditary and conducted through marriages to retain peace between city-states. In the Han dynasty, the bureaucracy expanded and remained a primary part of their daily lives. The Mayans did not have a centralized government or a connected government; the cities were independent of one another. As there were constant struggles for power, the Mayans never …show more content…
Although the reasons for the decline are still mysterious, it is almost certain that the environment played a big role. The Mayans were an agricultural civilization and when they had exhausted the soil, the collapse followed. Because the population was growing, it was becoming harder to support the people. Another theory is the occurrence of several droughts, which would have added to the environmental and agricultural problems. However, fall from the environment is not a key idea in the Conrad-Demarest Model of Empires; instead, aspects include the failure of leadership and internal rebellions. During the Rome’s fall, the patricians’ corruption and negligence of civil duties caused uprisings amidst the plebeians and laboring class. In Han China, bureaucrats because began competing for power and assassinated one another. Furthermore, social protests developed and China split up into 3 kingdoms. The Mayans fell not because of political corruption, but because of environmental