Sascab facts for kids

Sascab is a natural material found in the earth. It's often described as a special kind of gravel or soft rock. This material is usually made from broken-down limestone. The ancient Maya people used sascab as a type of mortar to hold their buildings together. They also used it for paving roads and floors.

In ancient Mesoamerica, sascab was a very important building material. Sometimes, a very fine version of sascab, like "stone dust," was mixed with clay and water. This mixture was then used to make pottery.

The ancient Maya used sascab instead of, or along with, lime for some building projects. One great thing about sascab was that it didn't need to be heated up or "burned" before use. This saved a lot of time and effort for the builders.

Around the year 1900, an American explorer named Edward Herbert Thompson was exploring the Yucatán region. He found small quarries near the famous ancient city of Chichen Itza. These quarries were places where people had dug up sascab a long time ago.

How Was Sascab Used?

Sascab was very useful for the ancient Maya. They used it to build many structures. It helped them create strong walls and foundations. They also used it to make smooth surfaces for their plazas and roads. This material was easy to find in their region.

Where Was Sascab Found?

Sascab is a natural mineral. It forms in areas where limestone is common. The Yucatán Peninsula, where the Maya lived, has a lot of limestone. This made sascab easy for them to find and use. Explorers have found old digging sites, showing how the Maya collected it.

See also

In Spanish: Sascab para niños