se separated by the Pacific (Coe, 45). Thus, the theory that the Chinese developed some contact with the Mayan by the end of the Preclassic period cannot be ruled out.
In Guatemala, the Mayan built the Uaxactun, their first religious center. This was the beginning of Mayan cities. They developed a theocratic political system where religion and state were inseparable. At Uaxactun, the Mayas stared building their truncated pyramids and other buildings faced with stucco and ornamented with the faces of their gods. Their priests erected huge monoliths on which they carved hieractic glyphs. One of the oldest stelas in this area is dated April 11, 328 A.D. The Mayan homes were more simple, and housed their artisans and farmers. Tribal communities spread out in Xmakabatun, Xultun, and Nakun. The largest of the Mayan cities, and the one that has endured the largest, then came into existence: Tikal. At Tikal, the pyramids are more than 200 feet tall, and for five centuries the Mayan filled its plazas with a wealth of hieroglyphic carvings (Von
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