The Maya Bridge at Yaxchilan was a suspension bridge believed to have been built by the

Maya Maya may refer to: Civilizations * Maya peoples, of southern Mexico and northern Central America ** Maya civilization, the historical civilization of the Maya peoples ** Maya language, the languages of the Maya peoples * Maya (Ethiopia), a popul ...

across the

Usumacinta River The Usumacinta River (; named after the howler monkey) is a river in southeastern Mexico and northwestern Guatemala. It is formed by the junction of the Pasión River, which arises in the Sierra de Santa Cruz (in Guatemala) and the Salinas ...

, Chiapas,

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

. If so, it would have been the longest bridge discovered in the ancient world, dating from its construction by the

Maya civilization The Maya civilization () of the Mesoamerican people is known by its ancient temples and glyphs. Its Maya script is the most sophisticated and highly developed writing system in the pre-Columbian Americas. It is also noted for its art, a ...

in the late 7th century at

Yaxchilan Yaxchilan () is an ancient Maya city located on the bank of the Usumacinta River in the state of Chiapas, Mexico. In the Late Classic Period Yaxchilan was one of the most powerful Maya states along the course of the Usumacinta River, with Pi ...

. It was a suspension bridge with a more or less level deck. Now an archaeological site, Yaxchilan had long been known to include an unusual raised terrace beside the river and pier in the river; these structures were long theorized to be the remains of a bridge. page 134 The Maya City-State of Yaxchilan, founded in the 4th century, became one of the most powerful Mayan kingdoms during the Maya Classic Period. During the height of its power the kings of Yaxchilan built gleaming temples,

pyramids A pyramid (from el, πυραμίς ') is a structure whose outer surfaces are triangular and converge to a single step at the top, making the shape roughly a pyramid in the geometric sense. The base of a pyramid can be trilateral, quadrilat ...

, and luxurious palaces clustered along the grand plaza extending along the shores of the wild

. This broad river, now separating

from Guatemala, formed a large U-shaped bend (or "

oxbow __NOTOC__ An oxbow is a U-shaped metal pole (or larger wooden frame) that fits the underside and the sides of the neck of an ox or bullock. A bow pin holds it in place. The term " oxbow" is widely used to refer to a U-shaped meander in a rive ...

") that encompassed the city of Yaxchilan. This natural barrier protected the city from invasion from outside forces. However, the river was in a high flood stage during the six month rainy season, during this time Yaxchilan became an island due to the swiftly flowing waters of the engorged river which encompassed the city. An all-weather passage across the treacherous river was a necessity in order to gain access to the farmlands to the north of the city. To survive and operate efficiently as the seat of power, Yaxchilan required a dependable passageway to provide an uninterrupted flow of traffic across the river on a year-round basis. It has been speculated that the Maya solved this urban transportation problem by constructing a 100-meter long suspension bridge across the wild river in the late 7th century. The bridge which featured three spans extended from a platform on the grand plaza of Yaxchilan crossing the river to the northern shore. The 63 meter center span remained the longest in the world until the construction of the Italian Trezzo sull'Adda Bridge in 1377. This would have required two piers in the river, The existence of this unique feat of engineering has been virtually reconstructed by computer. The ruins of the structure were investigated and reconstruction was created using computer simulation, remote sensing, and archaeoengineering techniques by Engineer James A O'Kon PE. The results were presented to the archaeological and engineering world in the pages of ''National Geographic'' magazine in 1995.

References

* ''National Geographic'' magazine, October 1995. * " Civil Engineering" Magazine, April 1995 * "Winds of Change" Magazine, Autumn 1997 * "Tech Topics" Georgia Tech Alumni Publication, Winter 1997 * "Famous Engineering Landmarks of the World" Berlow, Lawrence H. Phoenix,Arizona, ORYX Press 2000 * "Life in the Ancient Maya World" Fisher, Lynn, Oxford England, Oxford University press,2005 * "Ancient Maya" by Anita Ganeri * " The Lost Secrets of Maya Technology" O'Kon, James, New York. Career Press, 2012

External links

Panoramio.com: computer rendering of the bridgeExplorandomexico.com: more information about Yaxchilan
{{DEFAULTSORT:Maya Bridge At Yaxchilan Buildings and structures in Mesoamerica Buildings and structures in Chiapas History of Guatemala Suspension bridges in Mexico Maya architecture Bridges in Guatemala Yaxchilan