Why did maya seek captives in war/11624890/7f321fdd? utm_source=registration

To become slaves for the Maya--captives from war were used as labor slaves as well as sacrifice for religious ritual.

The Maya used human sacrifice but also had a massive civilization requiring labor sources. Captives were used for agricultural labor as well as building their structures.

The Maya wanted captives for several reasons. Captives could be kept as slaves and used as laborers in the fields or as servants within the homes. The Maya would also take captives to serve as human sacrifices. If there was a severe drought, they would take captives and slaughter them to appease the gods to bring back the rain. If there were any problems that could appease the gods through blood shed, then they would use the captives. If the slaughter of the captives was not enough then they would actually begin slaughtering their own people. Children were thought to be the ultimate pleasing sacrifice to the gods.