Why were Spanish efforts to convert the Maya in Belize to Christianity largely unsuccessful?

Spanish efforts to convert the Maya in the region now known as Belize to Christianity during the 16th and 17th centuries were largely unsuccessful due to the social and political state of the Indigenous population at the time of European arrival.12

By the time the Spanish penetrated the area, the Maya population had already experienced a significant decline that began long before European contact. The remaining Maya lived in politically decentralized societies, which made them difficult to govern or influence through centralized colonial structures. While the Maya lacked the resources to defeat the Spanish in open conflict, their decentralized nature and ability to retreat into remote areas meant they could not be decisively beaten or fully brought under Spanish control. Consequently, these factors allowed many Maya groups to maintain their autonomy and resist pacification throughout the colonial period.1234