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Show Road Roller Used U sed byAncient by byAncient , Ancient Mayas Found Fowncl 1 C " Five-Ton Five Ton - Cylinder Employedin Employed in Surfacing Work . WashingtonRecent Washington -Recent Recent - Recent discovery In Inthe inthe Inthe the jungle-covel jungle covel jungle-coveied jungle coveied jungle-coveted coveted - - ed region of northe'1st northe1st nerthesst northcist.ern northcistern ' . . ern Yucitin Yuc'1t\n Yuc'1t Yuc1t n Yucst'in Yucstin ' ' \ ' , , 40 miles illlies out of Coba Cobaof , of a segment of solid stone 13 feet feetlong feetlong feetlong long , 24/y 24 y 24yfeet 2 % * / feet In dlimeter dl'1meter dl1meter dlsmeter ' and nnd weigh weighIng weighlag weighIng Ing lag about 5 ton tonb tons , nicely fishloned f1shloned fashloned In Into into into to cylindncil cyUndllc\l cyUndllc l cylinducul ' \ form farm , dia\vs dia vs dtaws dr n\.s n.s n .s s \ ' \ . attentlOn attention attentlOnODce attentiononce attentiononce ODce once again to the fact that the 'In In an 'Indent ancleat ' indent dent cleat occupants of an 11l aid area e'1 e1 ' ] lon lnn on6 , ; unm umn unmhablted umnhabited uninhabited hablted habited were skilled 51.llIed 51llIed . in the bUildIng buildingof of raised ralced : ; roads of or paved p3\"ed p3 "ed ed . \ " ctoneIt stoneIt : ; stone ctone stoneIt It seems problble prob'1ble prob1ble probable ' that this great greatstone greatstone greatstone stone cylinder cyhnder was designed to be beused beused beused used In packing pachlng down Into solid m'1SS m1SS muss m'1SSsuccessl.e musssuccessive misssuccessive ' successl.e successle successive . cour courses es of miterlal m'lterln mlterln tnaterlal ' ] pr- pr par- par partlculurly prtlcuhry pir-ticulirly pir ticulirly , - tlcuhry tlculurly ] surfacing surfaclDg nnteriil m1terI'l m1terIl material ' ] , , as these thesewere thesewere were ' " ere added in 10 the proce process s of roid rO'ld rOld road ' con constructIon construction construction constructionPiesumably structIon structIonPI structionPresumably Piesumably Presumably PI esumaby ] gings glDgS gangs of laboiers laborers labol ers on onthe onthe onthe the road , possibly posslby ] slices sl'1es slates sl'1\ sl'1 sl1 ' \ es working "orl.lng orl.lng orllng " . un under under under der threat of the lash Insb , possibh posslbh possibl } t'1V- t'1V t1V cap- cap captives t'1VtI.es cip-tives cip tives ' - - tI.es tIes tives . taken tnhen In combat , , pushed such suchc suchcylinders suchcjlinder c cylinders . } hnderl ) about as the \ work pork \ orh proceeded proceedednnd proceededand proceededand nnd and In so doing dOIDg nntlclp anticipited lte by m'1ny m1ny many manycenturies m'1nycenturIes nnnycenturies ' centurIes the ad\ ad advent adent \ } ent of the stenn ste'1lll ste1lll steam ' or orgasoHne orgasoline orgasoline gasoHne gasoline drn drnen drruen en mcnl met'll metll metal ' rolloi rolIel roller , , so esen esaen esentIal esaential esaential : ! tIal to the roadmiking roadmI.lng roadmIlng roadmuking , . of to todav todavNetwork touivNetwork 'lV lV 'lVNetwork ' Network of RoadsCoba RoadsCoba Roads RoadsCoba Coba , a Maya Mi )1'1 11 ) ' . } i 1 ' cIt clt\ clt cltu cltof \ ' of COnCCIlIenCe consequence COnCCIlIenCeduring consequenceduring consequenceduring ; ] during pro pre Columbian Coumblan ] days da . } s , , as shon shown shoby shownby sho\\ sho shonby \ \ n nby by abundant archeologicil nrcheologlc'11 nrcheologlc11 archeological ' eldence evidence e\ldcncebut e ldcncebut \ , , but now long abandoned lies has about G5 05 G5mles 05miles 65miles mles miles ] east of south of Chichcn Chlchen Chichen 1t1l lt7a 1t1lthe lt7athe Ityathe ! the heidquartcrs he'1dquarters he1dquarters headquarters ' of the archeological archeologicalfield archeologicalfield archeologicalfield field : . stiff c.t'1tr c.t1tr ct1tr stuff ' of Carnegie institution mstltutlfl ( } of ofWashington ofWashington ofWashington ofWashingtonStudy Washington WashingtonStudy Study of Cob Coba a and the rcoion reblOn region there thereabouts thereabouts thereabouts abouts has revealed re\'ealed re 'ealed ealed \ ' the fact that It Itis itis itIs is at the center of a net network " orb . of raised raisedconstructed , conctructed constructed : roads \ which \ hlcb run off north northeast , east , south and west and anel connect .arl arl vanl vanlous . varlous .arlous ous groups of ruins rums located about the thech'lln thechurn thechiln ch'lln chlln churn ' of small , fresh witcr water \ 'Iter Iter ' likes l'lhes llhes lakes ' that thatIs thatis thatIs Is such a distinguishing dlstlngulhlng , feature of the thedistrIct thedistrict thedistrict thedistrictOne distrIct . . One Ore great road \ which tthtch hlCh takes tahes to the tl1e tl1e"c thewestward thewestward "c c " westward tward from Cobi Cob'l Cobl Coba ' hid h'1d h1d had ' been thought thoughtto to end at the ruins of Yaxuna Ya.una Yauna . , about about12 12 miles southwest soutb"e.t soutbe.t soutbet soutbstest " : . of or Chluchen Chlnchen Chinchen Hz'l Hzl Itzu Itzibut ' , . but no one had e\er e er ever e \ , er traced tr.lced trlced . Its Itc ; coursefrom course coursefrom coursefrom from end to endror endFor end endFor For ror man3 many man ; years ears , Dr Silvanus Slvanus S3lvanus , } G GMolle GMotley GMoilei Motley Molle ) , , In charge of the Carnegie In Instltutlon institutton Institutlon stltutlon stitutton field staff stair his h'1s h1s has ' hoped for op opvortUI1It opportunlty opportuniti vortUI1It portunlty to determine the facts fac.ts . ahout about ahoutthis aboutthis aboutthis this the - greitest g-re'1test g re'1test re1test greatest ' of ill 111 alt ' the C'1use\\ C'1use C1use C'1use11 causevtavs causevtavsrunning ciusewi\srunning ciusewi srunning ' \ \ 11\ 11 11S 11runnln ? \ S runnln running out ant oat of Cob Cobi Coba , Fimlly finally I'Jn'1 IJn1 ' ' l1y , this thisyear thisyear thisyear year seemed propitious and nnd be he set setabout ( , setabout ct ctnbout nbout about oranl7lng orlanting or ( , anl7lng ? an expeditionTo e.pedlUonTo e'peditionTo expedition e.pedlUon epedlUon e'pedition epedition . ' To head the evpcditlon e\pel.l1tlQn epel.l1tlQn e pel.l1tlQn pell1tlQn e \ peditign . he cho chose choseAlfonso cho&eAlfonso choeAlfonso & e eAlfonso Alfonso Villa , a joung young schoolmaster schoolmasterof of the Tucitccan Yuc'ltec.m Yucltec.m Yucltecm Yueutecan ' . . r'lCIt raceIt rice r'lC rlC race riceIt ' ( It uas nus nas nusJIe \JIe JIe ti \ uliile ' bile } ] cutting cuttlnt ; : his tus way tray waythrough traythrough waythrough through the thick tlllcJ . busli busll bash 22 miles mites out outof outof outof of Qixuna QUUD.1 QUUD1 Quxuna . , tl tI ' it 1t at Villa cime C"1me C1me came " upon the thestone thestone thestone stone rollerIn rollerIn roller rollerIn In consti constl cansti uction uctlOn action of their roads the , ancient nnclent enelneers enalneers en lneers begin be1n began : ' by diggingdown dl digging digginglo glng glngdo do\\ do lo ( } don \ n to hardpin hardp'ln hardpln hardpan ' which Is neir ne'lr nelr near ' the thesurface thesurface thesurface surface , and nnd el electing eiectrng ectln : ; retaining retamlng walls wallson wallson wallson on each side to the hel height ht to "blc1 blc1 tthlch tthlchthey " whichthey ! they desired dCClrNl : ; to btln bilug hung the load road loadRoad roadRoad loadRoad Road Walls BUiltThecc BuiltThese Built BuiltThese These Thecc ; \ walls \ alls " were "ere ere built bulH of large largerough largeroughly largeroughly rough roughly ] . } faced limestone hmestone set In mortarInto mortarinto mortar mortarInto Into the spice sp'1ce sp1ce ' bet between " } } een the wills w'1l1s w1l1s walls ' 1 a ' 1h alayer ilier h layer ; er of heivy he'1\"Y he'1 he1 "Y Y heavy ' \ " boulders houlders some of them themtwo themtwo themtwo two or thl thiec three eo feet in length and wel weigh weighlag weighing h hIn In lag minv m'lnv mlnv munv ' hundreds hundredc ; of pounds poundc : ; , Here Herecarefully \ werecirefully ere erec'lreully c'lreully clreully carefully ' ( laid and tlie the spaces betn between een chinked with smaller smnner stones , fitted nnd and nndhammered andhammered andhammered hammered Into posItIonOther positionOther position positionOther Other courses cours\s cours s ( \ followed tolowcd ] ; , " " each of or suc sue succcssh suecessively sueccssl ccssh cessively ey ely ] smaller boulders and stones stonesquite , quite as carefully cnreful1y placed pnted ] , until the therond theroad theroad rond road had been brought to requisite requisiteheight requisiteheight requisiteheight height , whereupon wMrcupon a layer larer of roeL rock rockbroken rockbroken . broken Into much flner fIncr finer pieces W'lS WlS was W'lSadded wasadded wiaadded ' added After this w was s hammered or orroBcd orrolled orrolled roBcd rolled Into a hard , , level lerel surface , a aflnEtI afinal afinal flnEtI final coating contIng of mortar mortnr cement was wasapplIed wasapplied wasapplied wasappliedThis applIed applIedThIs This cement was W3S made of lime mixed mixednItb mixedwith mixedwith nItb with finely flney ] sifted white earth , caned called canedsasc'lb calledsascub calledsascib sasc'lb sasclb sascub ' " which "hlcb hlcb uuhich , , originally orlgmaUy , under the thetroplcnl thetropical thetropical troplcnl tropical sun , must have given the theroads theroads theroada roads n a dazzling appearance , quite as asda.zllng asdacz1Ing asda/aling asda aling da/.zllng da.zllng da .zllng zllng dacz1Ing / . , , perhaps perhap'S ' , , as the great "white white "whiteways "whiteways whiteways " ways \ nys " of our own cities cltles |