Scholars have long debated the nature of Maya political organisation during the Classic period (AD 250–950). Complex questions regarding political centralisation, economic change, and the role of politics and economics in the rise and collapse of the civilisation have been examined and reexamined from a variety of perspectives. Antonia Foias and Kitty Emery have assembled a broad collection of essays all focused on a single polity, that of Motul de San José.

By presenting a coherent interdisciplinary body of archaeological and environmental data, the volume offers an intensely deep, focused investigation of the various models of the ancient Maya political and economic systems. Research conducted over six seasons of fieldwork reveals a more centralised political system than expected and uncovers the workings of the ancient economic structure. The contributors offer new details concerning how involved royals and non-royal elites were in the politics of nearby states, as well as an extensive tribute system