Tikal
was also a center of trade, using spondulix (shells) from Ecuador as coinage. Cinnabar (to paint buildings), flint, and
jade were exported to Monte Alban and Teotihuacan in the north and to Honduras
in the south. Hallucinogens extracted
from water lilies, bark, or toad were exchanged for hardwood from Belize. Architectural influences of Teotihuacan were
deployed in the pyramids. There were
four ball courts (compared to nineteen in Copan); the players were coached and
played “away matches” with rivals. An
interesting book, The Graffiti of Tikal,
shows Asian merchants arriving on a three-masted ship.
(from Who
Discovered America? by Gavin Menzies and
Ian Hudson)
.
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