Roads in Mesoamerica played an important part in
ancient and historic life. The first roads were only dirt trails and widened
paths, which were connected to villages and towns for local trade and hunting
purposes. The presence or absence of good roads plays a central part in any
society's movements. If a society doesn't have a good system of roads, travel
is greatly impeded upon. In area of Teotihuacan , the roads were
constructed only of dirt, which constricted travel between cities. In the rainy
season the water quickly rendered the dirt road useless. It is important to
have good roads, not only for trade and commerce, but also for military
purposes.
Coba is an archaeological site approximately 40 miles
from Tulum. At its peak, Coba had a population from 40,000 -60,000 people. Coba
held prominence in trade to the south and the coast, which was gained by its
road-based infrastructure. Roads built in and around Coba connected areas
within the same site and also stretched outward. These roads were built in
sections,
with retaining walls built first and then the interior being
filled with large stone slabs. The surface of the roads were covered with small
stones, which resembled a gravel surface. Coba's network was the largest in
Mesoamerica with known roads connecting
many other cities; the farthest being 100 kilometers away. These roads were
built in straight lines and were also elevated to allow for water runoff. The
Maya road system which was used by
Coba's army, provided a great way for the Coba to move their armies. The road
allowed them to march in columns of 10 men wide.
These kinds of roads gave a society great defense and control over the area it governed, because trouble spots could be reached quickly via the roads. The main advantage of good roads was that they unified the society in a variation of a territorial system. For example, an opposing army would have to conquer all of their enemies territory in order to succeed.
Soustelle, Jacques. Daily Life of the Aztecs. Sanford University Press.
California, 1961
Price,Barbara J. Mesoamerica, The Formation of a
Civilization. Random House. New York, 1967.
Hassig, Ross. War and Society in Ancient Mesoamerica. University of
California Press. Los Angeles, 1992.