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# Mayan Roads and Canoes The Mayans called their roads *sacbeobs*, usually raised 2 to 4 feet above ground level, sometimes up to 8 feet in swampy areas. Road widths varied according to traffic. *Sacbeobs* connected important buildings and ceremonial centers to outlying districts. A network of ro...

# Mayan Roads and Canoes The Mayans called their roads *sacbeobs*, usually raised 2 to 4 feet above ground level, sometimes up to 8 feet in swampy areas. Road widths varied according to traffic. *Sacbeobs* connected important buildings and ceremonial centers to outlying districts. A network of roads extended into the countryside. The longest *sacbeob*, stretching from Coba to Yaxuna, covered over 60 miles (or over 100 kilometers). Historians estimate the longest Mayan roads were over 100 kilometers in length, though little evidence of that remains after 1,100 years Coastal Mayan groups used canoes to transport goods like salt, dried fish, shells, and pearls to inland communities. The Mayans lacked beasts of burden or wheels. Instead, goods were often carried by slaves along established trade routes. Canoes were a more efficient method, commonly carved from large trees and averaging 50 feet in length. Canoes transported goods along the coast, remaining close to the shore. From coastal towns, goods were then transported to inland settlements. This method of transport continued until the arrival of the Spanish.