Tikal, Mayan site

Tikal was one of the most powerful city-states in the ancient Maya civilization dating from 2000 BC to 950 AD. It was a major cultural, political, and military center doing trading and administering to other Mayan cities. Tikal means everyday or common people.

While we were walking through the site, we saw howler and spider monkeys, birds, and an agouti (like a raccoon).

The architecture here is amazing and the site includes pyramids, temples, palaces, and a grand plaza. Everything is symmetrical despite not having advanced tools. Only 20% of the site has been excavated since 1955. It also was first explored in the late 1800’s and officially in 1904.

Back of Temple 1

Blocks were hand cut in quarries and then carried as far as 25 km by hand. No domesticated animals were used for this. They also did not use slaves as too many workers were required. It is thought that everyday people completed the work. There is evidence of early cement being used in construction which has stood the test is time.

Residences here were for high class people which could contain 152 bedrooms and 25 courtyards.

This is actually a need that would be covered by ticking.
View from the top of one section.
The wood above the door is from the local tree that has sap that was used as early chewing gum. It is a very hard wood. Adams chewing gum was the inspiration from the chewing gum from sap here. That piece of wood is 1300 years old.

There are two temples here. Temple 2 is on the left, government offices would be in the middle, and Temple 1 is on the right. They are in a line from North to South.

Temple 2 is known as the temple of masks. The carvings show masks.
Carvings are above
Temple 1 actually had a burial site found by tunneling underneath. There are 9 levels of the pyramid which correspond to the 9 levels you descend to the Mayan underworld when you die before going upwards 13 towards heaven.

The astronomical pyramids are flat on top and offer a 360 degree view. Maybe stairs to climb to get to the top!

Pyramid 4 was the last we visited and was built by the son of the ruler that built 1 and 2. Each ruler had to have a bigger Temple than the ones before.

As we passed by the second of the twin astronomical pyramids, this one has not been uncovered on one side, but you can see the structures on the other.

Uncovered side
Still covered side

Cisterns were used to capture and divert water when the original sources dried up. Below the modern cement is the earlier mayan cement that had been broken up by tree roots.

The site features numerous stelae and altars depicting rulers portraits and their stories. Information found in Tikal and descendent stories help to understand the Mayan civilization.

Other structures

Early steam bath
Early mask
This is Temple 3 that is still visible at the top and will be excavated in the future. It is the tallest of the pyramids.

2 thoughts on “Tikal, Mayan site”

  1. With all your travels to “ancient” and past civilizations in South America, Asia, and beyond, I wonder if you have a mental timeline of what was happening at the same time in different parts of the world (or even each continent)? My brain gets all scrambled with so many…

    1. They were all about the same time I think. Egyptians structures are one or two thousand years earlier but what would be considered the modern pyramids there are roughly the same age. What I was thinking at tikal was why they did things certain ways. I remember guides telling me that oxen and horses were not here originally. I think the Spaniards used them first here. That started to make sense that how they use nature would be somewhat different in various places.

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