Lidar helps uncover secrets of ancient Mayan road

Built towards the end of the seventh century, Sacbe 1 - or White Road 1 - is covered in white plaster and stretches across Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula. It’s believed to have been commissioned by the warrior queen Lady K'awiil Ajaw, who may have planned to use the road to expand her empire from Cobá to counteract the rise of Chichén Itzá, where today’s most celebrated Mayan ruins are found. 

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"I personally think the rise of Chichén Itzá and its allies motivated the road," said Traci Ardren, archaeologist and University of Miami professor of anthropology.  

"It was built just before 700, at the end of the Classic Period, when Cobá is making a big push to expand. It's trying to hold on to its power, so with the rise of Chichén Itzá, it needed a stronghold in the centre of the peninsula. The road is one of the last-gasp efforts of Cobá to maintain its power. And we believe it may have been one of the accomplishments of K'awiil Ajaw, who is documented as having conducted wars of territorial expansion."