A sacbe, plural sacbeob (Yucatec Maya: singular sakbej, plural sakbejo'ob), or "white road", is a raised paved road built by the Maya civilization of pre-Columbian Mesoamerica. Most connect temples, plazas, and groups of structures within ceremonial centers or cities, but some longer roads between cities are also known. The term "sacbe" is Yucatec Maya for "white road"; white perhaps because there is evidence that they were originally coated with limestone stucco or plaster, which was over a stone and rubble fill. Although great progress has been made on determining the roles of sacbeob in Maya society, the decision to construct sacbeob as opposed to smaller, less complicated paths is puzzling to experts. Without a profound reliance on beasts of burden to transport goods, it remains partially unclear why the Maya decided to expend so much labor constructing these impressive roads. However it remains a very possible theory that the Sacbe held significant spiritual and religious value, in the sense that the actual trekking of the Sacbe itself seemed to be a spiritual journey of sorts.
Sacbeob constructed of these materials are especially important to contemporary studies of Maya sites, as they preserve well, making them capable of providing invaluable evidence to archaeologists. Maya "Sacbeob varied greatly in construction, length, width, and function" according to a 2015 study done on the sacbeob of Ceren. It is possible that many non-stone sacbeob once existed throughout Maya territory, however evidence of these earthen roads are limited, as they do not preserve as well.
Etymology
The word Sacbe meaning the white jungle pathways used by the Maya comes from a combination of two Mayan words, "sac" meaning white and "be" or "beh" meaning way, road, or pathway. The word "Beh" operates as the root term for "Sacbe". Beh is spelled alternately as Be, bej, bey, be, bih, as well as "beel" in the possessive.
It has many distinctions from English concepts of roads, pathways, or trails. Beh's metaphoric meanings are just as important if not more important than its literal meaning of "road." Ethnographers working the lowlands have noted that it means "more than the road you see with your eyes." The term Beh refers to "the road of life".
In the Colonial times "Sacbe" was translated as calzada, which is Spanish for "main road/Highway." The literal translation of Sacbe is "white road." This is used to refer to Mayan large constructed roads covered in a white (Sac) surfacing.
Sacbeob today
Many sacbeob can be seen by modern visitors to Maya sites; a prominent one is at Chichen Itza, running from the main group around El Castillo to the Sacred Cenote. Few of the longer roads still exist in their entirety. A well-known sacbe connects Uxmal with Kabah, which is marked by corbel arches at either end. The 62-mile-long (100 km) road connecting the ancient cities of Coba and Yaxuna was for decades the longest known to archaeologists. The remains of an even longer route have recently received the attention of archaeologists. This long sacbe apparently ran from the site of Ti'ho (modern Mérida, Yucatán), through such sites as Ake and Izamal, to the Caribbean Sea near modern Puerto Morelos, a total distance of some 300 km. In modern times, some of the ancient sacbeob have been used as bases or incorporated into modern highways and railway lines. In contemporary times, researchers have mapped sacbeob quite extensively in cases where the roads radiate out from cities (ie. Calakmul). However, sacbeob in between cities are less frequently mapped, since they go through areas of extremely dense jungle.
In an effort to map Maya sacbeob more effectively, researchers have more recently turned to radar imaging. This form of mapping has the power to penetrate dense forest cover to reveal the sacbeob below, and is a sound alternative to LiDAR or traditional mapping practices, as they are often time consuming and costly.