Contents -- List of Figures -- Preface -- Note on Orthography and Dates -- Acknowledgments -- Chapter 1. Introduction: Approaches to Maya Political Organization -- Explanation, Analogy, and the Direct-Historical Approach -- Sources for a Direct-Historical Approach: A Critical Review -- Classic Period Hieroglyphic Inscriptions -- Native Texts of the Postclassic and Colonial Periods -- Spanish Colonial Documents -- Dictionaries -- Modern Ethnography -- Maya Cosmology and Worldview -- Chapter 2. Previous Reconstructions of Classic Maya Political Organization -- Early Thoughts -- The Political Geography of the Yucatan Maya -- Twentieth-Century Ethnography -- Site Size and Size-Hierarchy Models -- Inscription-based Models -- The Importance of Emblem Glyphs -- Emblem Glyph-based (and Other) Decentralized Models -- Emblem Glyph-based Centralized Models -- Time and Its Cycles -- Chapter 3. Maya Politico-Religious Calendrics -- Maya Cosmology and Calendrical Science -- Maya Calendars -- Calendrical Origins -- Calendrical Transformations -- The Postclassic Maya May -- The May and Its Seats -- The Books of the Chilam B'alams and Rituals of the May -- Overview -- Chapter 4. Tikal as Early Seat of the May -- Preclassic Ritual Architecture and K'atun Seats -- Early Classic Tikal and Its Rulers -- The Institution of Kingship -- Tikal's Dynastic Founding -- Tikal's Name and Emblem Glyph -- The Dynasty Continues -- The Central Mexican Presence -- Tikal in the Middle Classic Period -- The Meaning of the Middle -- Overview -- Chapter 5. Tikal's Late and Terminal Classic Seating of the May -- Tikal as Late Classic May Ku -- Twin-Pyramid Groups -- Tikal's Late Classic Monuments -- Late Classic Period-ending Monuments in Tikal's Realm -- Interpretations: Tikal's Late Classic May Seating -- Tikal and Its May Realm in the Terminal Classic Period -- Monuments and Themes.

Other Sites in Tikal's Terminal Classic May Realm -- Overview -- Chapter 6. Other Classic Period May-based Realms -- Copán, Honduras, and Quiriguá, Guatemala -- Calakmul, Campeche, Mexico -- Other Sites and Regions -- Caracol, Belize -- Palenque and Toniná, Chiapas, Mexico -- Dos Pilas, Petén, Guatemala -- Overview -- Chapter 7. New Terminal Classic May Realms -- The Southern Lowlands -- Seibal as May Ku: Structure A-3 Monuments -- Lake Petén Itzá -- Ucanal -- The Northern Lowlands -- The Puuc Region -- Chich'en Itza, Yucatán -- Dzibilchaltún and Cobá -- Overview -- Chapter 8. Implications of the May Model -- Identifying the May -- Calendrical Rituals Involving Fire -- Burner Rituals -- New Year's Ceremonies -- Fire Walking -- Ballcourts and the Ballgame -- Maya "Warfare" -- Dual Rulership -- Overview -- Chapter 9. Conclusion -- Origin and Operation of the May System -- The Classic Maya: A Theocratic State -- Bibliography -- Index.