william fash. the point of this monument is to show that the 16th ruler derives his right to power from his descent from each and every one of these illustrious ancestors. in fact, what he's showing you here is that he's receiving the baton of office, the right to rule, from the very first ancestor, from the founder of the copan dynasty. keach: archaeologists now believe that each city across the maya realm was ruled by its own king. this was not a single empire like the aztecs created, but hundreds of independent kingdoms existing side by side. but what power did these kings have, and how did they use it ? the royal precinct of copan is a kind of manmade acropolis, supporting enormous pyramids and temples. in its day, each building and plaza would have been coated with white plaster and painted in bright colors. maya kings had the ability to organize and manage the construction of great buildings. these projects consumed much of the kingdom's available resources and served to express the control t