For clarification, there was no Maya empire. The Maya were a collection of city-states with a shared culture and language family. No one city-state dominated all the others, though large alliances can and did form.

Further clarification, the Aztecs and Maya are also in North America. North America extends from the Arctic to Panama, after all. But I am guessing you meant people north of the Rio Grande. In that case, perhaps the section Technology and Civilization in the Americas from our FAQ will answer your inquiry.

Check put this thread: https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/19pljl/why_was_there_never_any_native_american_empire_in/

TLDR: the Pueblo culture would probably be the most comparable to mesoamerican civilizations. The Mississippian culture was also quite significant. Both went into decline around 1100 CE, possibly caused by a centuries-long drought. So Europeans wouldn't encounter "empires" like those found in mesoamerica.