Joshua DunnANTH 325

Dr. Chamberlain

Joshua Dunn

5/4/15

Joshua DunnANTH 325

Dr. Chamberlain

Mesoamerican Infrastructure: Sacbe, Causeways, and Site Orientation

As is often the case with the subject of Mesoamerican architecture, the layout of

communities, villages, and cities tends to leave the revelation of its true purpose hanging in the

balance. We find the debate of religious versus secular functions ever prevalent when it comes

to physical entities such as mounds and roads. In fact, roads or “sacbee” as they are commonly

referred to, seem to upturn the greatest amount of discretion and debate on this topic. The

Maya, as with many of their Mesoamerican counterparts, were a people of great religious

devotion as well as an exemplary group with regards to economic growth and success. The

question of the primary purpose of the causeways warrants the examination of a few of the

Mayan sites on the Yucatan Peninsula which may give us a better idea of the true nature of the

sacbe.

The physical makeup of these raised roadways is more complex than one might initially

give them credit for being. A cross-section of a typical sacbe reveals a stacked stone retaining

wall on either side of the structure. The inside is filled with a couple of layers of mortar joined

stone with a smooth paved surface on top. Typically, they range anywhere from 2 to 12m in

width and some are approximately 3m high off of the ground (Chase, 279). The top layer of

smooth “concrete” pavement gives off a white hue along the surfaces of these roadways which

give them their name.

As we’ve discussed already, there are a few distinct possibilities for the functions of the

causeways. That is not to say that these functions could not coexist within a given Mayan

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Dr. Chamberlain community, rather it simply begs the discussion of which purpose may have been the more

prevalent. Some scholars have examined sites at which the sacbe seems to be oriented towards

a religious or astronomical motivation in their construction. This can be based off of directional

alignment as well as the connectivity of certain temples with known and confirmed functions.

Others seem to have a mind that certain communities built their roads with a particular

emphasis on the ways in which they would aid their economy through trade. Of course, there is

no reason why there cannot be any overlap of theory in many of the cities in the Mayan realm.

The first site we’ll look at is Caracol inside the Western border of the modern day

country of Belize. By the year 700 A.D., Caracol supported as much as 115,000 people and

possibly as much as 150,000 at its height. According to Dr. Arlen and Diane Chase of UCF

(University of Central Florida), there are a confirmed 40 km of road that have been ground-

checked, and that same amount of additional road not yet tested. The causeways appear as

either intrasite paths, or what seem to be possible connections with outside villages and

communities forming what appears to be a “spiderweb.”

For this particular site, I’ll be supporting the notion that the roads served a much more

practical and secular purpose above a religious priority. The range of diameter of this inner ring

of settlement from the core of Caracol, with regards to sacbee distance, is approximately 400m

to 2 km. The second ring of structures in the area reaches as far as 7.3 km in distance from the

center of Caracol (Chase, 277). The intrasite connectors are formally referred to as “vias.” These

vias connect in between the larger roads which lead out to greater distances. Analysis of the

areas being connected by many of these vias reveals that many of the structures were of a non-

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Dr. Chamberlain elite status (Chase, 277). This would indicate that access and use of these roads was likely to be

non-specialized and therefore even further unlikely to be of anything other than a secular

nature. To further this claim, it was also reported that many of the archaeological findings

including ceramics, were found to be produced in several of those outlying communities

connected by the longer sacbe such as “Retiro” or “Ceiba.” Specifically, these roads led right

into the heart of one site from that of the other, indicating that traffic of goods was directed to

the center of these communities as a symbol of equal participation in the process by the

citizens. According to the same article, they termini along the causeways were likely used as

administrative posts rather than points of commerce (Chase, 278). This is quite an obvious

indication of a higher level of exchange along the longer sacbe, while the vias within the core of

Caracol served as a means of exchange from neighbor to neighbor.

Additionally, the causeways were much narrower than those of their neighbors in Tikal

which were laid out to transport their people to massive temples (Chase, 279). This would

indicate that Caracol wasn’t preparing for any annual or seasonal exodus along these pathways

which would require an accommodation of a large amount of people. In conclusion, much of

the evidence supported by the research Drs. Arden and Diane Chase indicates that there is no

obvious astronomical alignment of the sacbe as well as no dominant religious motivation in

their construction. However, as we’ll see next, determining construction motives isn’t always

quite as concrete as what we find in Caracol.

The next site we’ll be taking a look at is the Mayan city of Yaxuna which lies Northwest

of Caracol in the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico. Something particularly interesting about this site

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Dr. Chamberlain is the ease with which one can identify site growth throughout the formative period. By the

same token, this presents problems with making distinctions within the overlap about the

purposes of earlier structures. For example, archaeologists have identified a group of structures

in the southernmost part of the site which dates to the Middle Formative period. More

importantly, within this group there lies a known religious structure among a few of the

residential buildings (Stanton, 32). Extending outward from this cluster of buildings is a section

of a sacbe running due north. Then, rather shockingly, a second small cluster of buildings

interrupts the run of the sacbe with another sacbe leading out of it in an obscure direction.

What’s puzzling here, is that both sets of structures dated to the Middle Formative Period

(Stanton, 33). This indicates a relatively dramatic shift in construction plans in a short period of

time. In continuation, we see the site of Yaxuna’s construction from the Late Formative Period

falling in line with the earlier, obscure sacbe by having a slightly Northeast orientation with no

real astronomical significance known to date.

The next site to observe is situated in the northern region of modern day Guatemala

and dates back to approximately 2,600 years ago. It would appear to get its name, meaning “by

the road,” from the fact that it lies on a road which connects the city to nearby El Mirador. The

site itself is split into both an east and west structural group connected by a sacbe. The possible

significance of these groups rests in the identification of the site’s tallest pyramid in the western

cluster, while the eastern group is the home of a massive 100 foot platform (Hansen, 1).

Interestingly, the western platform seems to rest at the heart of the Nakbe site. Additionally,

the causeway connecting El Mirador runs off of the northwest corner of the centrally located

western platform.

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Dr. Chamberlain Excavations at the center of the site specifically gave us several multi-colored and

relatively elaborate ceramics, as well as small fragments of animal and human figurines

(Hansen, 2). This would seem to solidify a possible religious connection between the western

and eastern pyramid and platform. These intricately decorated bowls and narrow necked jars

were not likely to have been used for common practical purposes which could be supported by

their proximity with the figurines. However, there is a gray area regarding the importance of

Nakbe as a whole site due to its stunt in growth in the shadow of El Mirador. This begs the

question of whether or not Nakbe was that much of an important religious site to the area

regardless of its core of ceremonial organization. The growth and importance of Nakbe was

hindered by the El Mirador’s greater access to a supply of water as well as the fact that it was

an easier location to defend geographically (Hansen, 4).

Monte Alban perhaps demonstrates a slightly more concrete example of astronomical

alignment. The site is a bit oblong in shape with a general north to south orientation. There are

plazas and platforms along the edge of the community with larger structural areas on either

end of the site. In the middle of the site, with a location slightly further south, rests an

interestingly built structure. “Building J” as it is commonly referred to, is a pentagonal structure

with its point facing almost directly southwest. There has been little debate over whether or

not this building has some sort of astronomical or ceremonial significance.

This was first investigated in 1972 by two researchers looking for some sort of

relationship between Building J and any of the adjacent structures in Monte Alban. Specifically,

there was a staircase that directly faces a vertical tube built into a nearby structure named

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Dr. Chamberlain “Building P.” The original researchers submitted that this line of sight to the northeastern

horizon could have been used to determine the day of solar zenith passage (Peeler, 362). They

supported this theory through a glyph found on the side of Building J which they interpreted as

being a depiction of an astronomical device (Peeler, 362). This offers a strong case for the fact

that the alignment of these two structures has astronomical and calendric significance to the

site of Monte Alban.

We can also learn quite a bit about Mesoamerican trade by examining the routes along

the Yucatan peninsula around Chichen Itza. Long distance trade was definitely well established

in Mayan culture over a span of several hundred years. An examination of materials found in

excavations revealed the presence of both goods for daily use and exotic imports from other

areas (Ardren, 429). The connections over a greater distance were vital in the expansion of

Mesoamerican society. This allowed for not only the flow of materials throughout various cities,

but the flow if knowledge as well. The presence and continued use of waterways also played a

very strong role and served as a catalyst for the trade expansion. This claim is supported by the

documentation of the Spanish, which has been backed by archaeological evidence, and what

they saw on one of Christopher Columbus’ later voyages. They reported the presence of, “…

bolts of cotton and clothing, weapons, copper ornaments and stone beads…” among other

items of varying degrees of value. This shows that the concept of a “road” by no means limited

to what we may think of as only a land structure. Waterways served an equal, if not more

important purpose for the expansion of the society and its people.

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Dr. Chamberlain As we bring this analysis to a conclusion, it is important to understand the relationship

between the various components of the infrastructure of these sites. The sacbes, observatories,

and waterways all serve a common purpose of exemplifying the advances made in early

Mesoamerican society. They had various purposes ranging from trade and economic expansion,

to possible astronomical alignment and calendric measurement. If nothing else, this was a

testament to the unity within Mayan culture which arrived via these roads in the form of ideas

and architectural patterns. Causeways, especially within certain sites such as Yaxuna, also could

have possibly served as pathways from one area of importance to another with additional

emphasis on directional orientation of these connectors. Trade also was a major motive in the

way many of these causeways ended up being laid out. The obvious emphasis on

interconnectivity and flow of goods and ideas through these adjacent sites highlights the

importance of having a reliable and permanent network of transportation in the area. Both of

these purposes were at the root of Mesoamerican society and created a strong sense of

identity and opportunity for everyone in these communities. All the while, there were bonds

being formed between adjacent settlements which allowed for communication to coexist with

the geographic distance spanning the length of the causeways.

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Dr. Chamberlain Citations

- Ardren, Traci and Justin Lowry. The Travels of Maya Merchants in the Ninth and Tenth

Centuries AD: Investigations at Xuenkal and the Greater Cupul Province, Yucatan, Mexico.

Florence, KY: Taylor and Francis Group, 2011.

-Chase, Arlen F. and Diane Z. Chase. Ancient Maya Causeways and Site Organization at Caracol

Belize. Orlando, FL: University of Central Florida, 2001.

-Hansen, Richard D., The Road to Nakbe. Research Triangle Park, NC: Natural History, 1991.

-Peeler, Damon E. and Marcus Winter. Building J. at Monte Alban: A Correction and

Reassessment of the Astronomical Hypothesis. Washington, DC: Society for American

Archaeology, 1995.

-Stanton, Travis W., Formative Maya Causeways: Incipient Internal Site Design at Yaxuna,

Yucatan, Mexico. Austin, TX: Journal of the Mesoamerican Archaeological Research Lab, 2005.