User:CantrellL/Nim Li Punit

Economy and interchange
In addition to Nim li Punit, the Maya Mountains of Southern Belize contain four major Mayan archaeological sites- Xnaheb, Lubaantun, Uxbennka, and Pushilha. All these sites are in close proximity to one another, with the farthest site from Nim li Punit, Pushilha, being only 47 kilometers to the southwest. Despite their close geographic proximity, the extent of the economic and political relationships between Nim li Punit and these other polities is still debated, and scholars remain unsure of what allowed them all to thrive so close to one another. Archaeologists have used goods with economic value in Mayan culture discovered at Nim li Punit have to draw conclusions on the extent to which these interactions occurred.

One of these goods that has been extensively uncovered at Nim li Punit is obsidian. Obsidian was used to denote status in the Mayan Classic Period and was available primarily to royalty. An analysis of obsidian artifacts from Nim li Punit and Lubaantun, revealed that the majority of the obsidian they received originated from El Chayal and Ixtepeque, which are both located in present-day Guatemala. Compared to Lubaantun, Nim li Punit received around twice as much obsidian from Ixtepeque. The ratio of the total mass of obsidian compared to the total mass of pottery was also approximately twice as high at Nim li Punit than at Lubaantun. Overall, obsidian was more abundant at Nim li Punit than other nearby settlements.