Several Hundred Years After the Maya Abandoned Their Ancient Cities

Several hundred years after the Maya abandoned their ancient cities, Spanish observers reported a social hierarchy and inherited nobility that seemed related to what existed in the large, ancient, urban centers. This fact suggests that

A) the Maya never escaped the overarching authority of their rulers
B) the Spanish observations were based on a different part of the Central American populations that created large city-states
C) the Maya simply transformed
D) the Maya needed the reassurance of their leaders to survive over time