Observations placeholder
Mayan - White roads and cardinal directions
Identifier
007049
Type of Spiritual Experience
Background
A description of the experience
The Mayan Sacbe System Analyzed as an Information Web - Steve Mizrach
Why is Merida known as the White City? Many people think this honorific arises from its cleanliness or its architecture. But I suspect the ultimate origin of the name may have been pre-Hispanic. It is possible that Merida (T'Ho) might have been one of the key hubs of this 'galaxy' of white roads. There are other towns in the area associated with colours -- Izamal is known as the yellow city, Valladolid the green city, and Ekbalam is of course the city of the black (or maybe shining) jaguar. Since the Maya associated the different colours with the cardinal directions, it's possible that each of these sites were cardinal centres of the sacbe system.