Editing Tulum (section)

==Trading==
[[File:Tulum - God of the Winds Temple 03.JPG|thumb|Templo Dios del Viento (God of Winds Temple) guarding Tulum's sea entrance bay]]
Both coastal and land routes converged at Tulum. A number of artifacts found in or near the site show contacts with areas all over Central Mexico and Central America. Copper artifacts from the Mexican highlands have been found near the site, as have flint artifacts, ceramics, incense burners, and gold objects from all over the [[Yucatán Peninsula|Yucatán]]. Salt and textiles were among some of the goods brought by traders to Tulum by sea that would be dispersed inland. Typical exported goods included feathers and copper objects that came from inland sources. These goods could be transported by sea to rivers such as the [[Río Motagua]] and the Río Usumacincta/Pasión system, which could be traveled inland, giving seafaring canoes access to both the highlands and the lowlands.
[[File:ThatchTulum.jpg|left|thumb|Thatched awning on building at Tulum]]
The Río Motagua starts from the highlands of Guatemala and empties into the Caribbean. The Río Pasión/Ucamacincta river system also originates in the Guatemalan highlands and empties into the Gulf of Mexico. It may have been one of these seafaring canoes that Christopher Columbus first encountered off the shores of the Bay Islands of Honduras.<ref name="carr">''The Peoples of the Caribbean: An Encyclopedia of Archeology and Traditional Culture,'' Nicholas J. Saunders, published by ABC-CLIO, 2005. p. 299</ref> [[Jade]] and [[obsidian]] appear to be some of the more valuable found here. The obsidian would have been brought from [[Ixtepeque]] in northern Guatemala, which was nearly {{convert|700|km|mi|sp=us}} away from Tulum. This huge distance, coupled with the density of obsidian found at the site, show that Tulum was a major center for the trading of obsidian.<ref name="obsid">"Classic Maya Obsidian Trade", Raymond V. Sidrys, ''American Antiquity'', Vol. 41, No. 4 (Oct. 1976), pp. 449–464, Published by: Society for American Archeology</ref>