Maya society was rigidly divided between nobles, commoners, serfs, and slaves. The noble class was complex and specialized. Noble status and the occupation in which a noble served were passed on through elite family lineages.

The elite class consisted of rulers, religious figures, and skilled artisans and craftsmen, who lived in small religious centers or cities, such as La Venta and San Lorenzo. These cities were not very large, as they only housed a few thousand people.

social
The Aztecs followed a strict social hierarchy in which individuals were identified as nobles (pipiltin), commoners (macehualtin), serfs, or slaves. The noble class consisted of government and military leaders, high level priests,
and lords (tecuhtli).

Economy

Aztec Economy Trade and Currency. The Aztecs traded everything, and it was an important part of their life, and their economy relied heavily on agriculture and farming. Aztec Farmers grew beans, squash, avocados, tobacco, hemp, and peppers but the most important crop was corn.

POLITICAL

Aztec Political Structure. The Aztec empire was made up of a series of city-states known as altepetl. Each altepetl was ruled by a supreme leader (tlatoani) and a supreme judge and administrator (cihuacoatl). The tlatoani of the capital city of Tenochtitlan served as the Emperor (Huey Tlatoani) of the Aztec empire

An economy is hierarchical, made up of individuals that aggregate to make larger organizations such as governments and gives value to goods and services. The Maya economy had no universal form of trade exchange other than resources and services that could be provided among groups such as cacao beans and copper bells.

As previously acknowledged, the Olmec used their man-made goods as well as their natural resources to establish long-range trade relationships among all of Mesoamerica

Mayan Government. The Mayans developed a hierarchical government ruled by kings and priests. They lived in independent city-states consisting of rural communities and large urban ceremonial centers. There were no standing armies, but warfare played an important role in religion, power and prestige.

In its earlier time, the Olmec were grouped into several families with communally owned farmland. They shared work and benefits, ultimately characterizing their early civilization with equality.