The history of Maya research is a relatively short yet eventful one, peppered with field-changing discoveries and spirited theoretical debates. To fully appreciate what is at stake in deciding on a model for Classic Maya politics, and how we reached the point we now have, it is necessary to retrace the development of interpretation through time, isolating the contested questions and explaining how scholars have marshalled evidence to support one position or another. Since data and analysis are intrinsically entwined they are here treated within a common narrative, stretching from the period of first European encounters to the state of the field today. The division into eras, latterly 20-year spans, is patently arbitrary, but it does allow section titles to capture the general character of their times.