Evidence was provided for and against. They could collect evidence that proved that they were innocent, just as the other side could collect evidence to prove someone was guilty. If they were found to be guilty, they were punished. Punishments varied with the crime. Murder was rare because the punishment was so severe. Murderers “could be sacrificed or suffer death in the same manner as their victims, but families of the victims could demand money instead” (Foster, 2002, p.332). Sometimes the punishment was to have their entire face tattooed. That way everyone who saw you knew you had committed a crime. It was very embarrassing. That was the system and that's how things were supposed to work. But in reality, the nobles could afford to bring little gifts for the court. That might help them, it might not. The murder of a slave was not treated with the same importance as the murder of a farmer or a nobleman. But most courts tried to be fair to everyone. However, by the end of the Classic Period, the Maya kingdoms had begun to splinter and break off into smaller states. When the Spaniards arrived in the 1500s, the peak of the Maya civilization was long over and the remaining Maya states tended to be less centralized and more commercially
Evidence was provided for and against. They could collect evidence that proved that they were innocent, just as the other side could collect evidence to prove someone was guilty. If they were found to be guilty, they were punished. Punishments varied with the crime. Murder was rare because the punishment was so severe. Murderers “could be sacrificed or suffer death in the same manner as their victims, but families of the victims could demand money instead” (Foster, 2002, p.332). Sometimes the punishment was to have their entire face tattooed. That way everyone who saw you knew you had committed a crime. It was very embarrassing. That was the system and that's how things were supposed to work. But in reality, the nobles could afford to bring little gifts for the court. That might help them, it might not. The murder of a slave was not treated with the same importance as the murder of a farmer or a nobleman. But most courts tried to be fair to everyone. However, by the end of the Classic Period, the Maya kingdoms had begun to splinter and break off into smaller states. When the Spaniards arrived in the 1500s, the peak of the Maya civilization was long over and the remaining Maya states tended to be less centralized and more commercially