Tikal is one of the largest of all Maya cities, it's located in what today is called the peten region of Guatemala. A very dense and beautiful tropical forest covers the whole city. Tikal's main beauty is in its jungle environment rather than in the buildings or its Maya artifacts, all tough they are quite impressing. Sadly, many of the sites buildings have been very damaged over time.

It is believed that during its splendor, Tikal had over 10,000 inhabitants dispersed trough out the surrounding area. This city is located right in the center of the Maya land, right between the coasts of Campeche and Belize, which might explain its prodigious development.

One of Tikal's most import construction is it's huge "Acropolis", a 330-by-260-foot platform situated north of the Great Plaza. The Acropolis was the burial place of Tikal's kings for many generations. Excavations one the North Acropolis have found huge plaster masks on underlying structures.


The central plaza is surrounded by two famous buildings. Temple I, to the east, a 155 feet above the plaza, covers the tomb of Ah Cacau, the first king buried outside the North Acropolis. A carved wooden lintel inside Temple I records Ah Cacau's inauguration and shows him seated before a giant jaguar-protector. Temple II, in the west side of the plaza, is a commemoration of ruler Ah Cacau's wife.

The largest structure at Tikal and the highest of all the Maya structures, Temple IV, rises 230 feet tall. It marks the reign of Ah Cacau's son and the 27th king, Yax Kin Caan Chac. The whole structure of this building is covered with all sorts of hieroglyphic texts that record much of the history of the city of Tikal.

There are many other smaller buildings dispersed throughout the jungle, the latest known monument, dated to 869, refers to an unknown ruler, by this time construction activity had ceased and Tikal was in rapid decline; by the tenth century, this great Maya capital had been completely abandoned.

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Chichén-Itzá|Tikal|Palenque |Uxmal