Coe is describing a different culture and a later time than the Nephites; but we see in Nephite society the same factors that were continued and elaborated in Maya society. Of course, the social classes that resulted from lineage rankings are the heresy that the Nephite gospel was combating, but the underlying social organization certainly existed.
When the political order that held the clans together dissolved, the clan structure (tribes) remained. Their continued importance, even inside the larger political organization is confirmed by Mormon’s comment that “there was no man among them save he had much family and many kindreds and friends.”