TIKAL, GUATEMALA

300-900AD

Tikal Tikal National Park encompasses 575 square kilometers of jungle and thousands of ruined structures.

The central part of the ancient city alone contains 3,000 buildings and covers about 16 square kilometers.

From atop Tikal’s pyramids, Maya astronomers tracked the movements of Venus and all the other visible planets.

They used these calculations- extremely accurate even by today’s standards- to fine tune their complex calendar

Tikal is a modern Maya term for the name of the location “at the watering hole”

Tikal Only 30% of all pyramids at Tikal have been unearthed. The site of Tikal may hold thousands of pyramids still covered by the jungle.

There are thousands of ancient structures at Tikal and only a fraction of these have been excavated, after decades of archaeological work. The most prominent surviving buildings include six very large pyramids, labelled Temples I - VI, each of which support a temple structure on their summits.

Some of these pyramids are over 60 metres (200 feet) high

Tikal grew into an important ceremonial, cultural, and commercial center over the centuries.

Most of the city's huge temples were constructed during the eighth century AD when Tikal became the greatest city in the Maya world with a population of perhaps 100,000.

Central Acropolis

Most of its buildings are of the so-called palace type, probably used for daily functions of the royal court.

The acropolis is flanked by two gigantic pyramids.

Temple 1(Temple of the

Jaguar)late classic700-800AD

Temple I rises some 50 meters above the plaza's eastern end.

A stone stairway leads up the pyramid's nine tiers, corresponding to the nine levels of the Mayan underworld. *

In 1958, archeologists discovered the tomb of Ah Cacau (Lord Chocolate), one of Tikal's greatest rulers, inside Temple I.

Ah Cacau's skeleton was festooned with jade ornaments and surrounded by precious offerings, including pottery, alabaster, sea shells and pearls from the Caribbean coast.

The temples of Tikal are funerary monuments*

Temple IITemple of the

Masks700-800 AD

Called Temple of the Masks because of huge stone masks guarding its stairway

Temple II is almost as tall as Temple I, but safer to climb.

Built in honor of Lord Chocolate's wife: Lady Kalajuun Une' Mo'. (Ruler A’s wife).

The roof comb of Temple II, while damaged by weather, has many carved stone masks carved.

Pyramid Features

• Temple on top of pyramid with a very steep stairway leading to the temple

• Some pyramids also had a small burial chamber

• During ceremonies priests would ascend the pyramid from the earth to the sky by means of a staircases. They believed that this brought them closer to the gods.

• Exterior decorated with elaborate stucco decorations and stone carving.

• Exteriors also covered with white lime and red paint.

• Interiors decorated with mural paintings.

• Had multi-purpose functions: temple, tombs, platforms for public ceremonies

Architecture• Maya buildings were typically

made from limestone

• Stone was cut in quarries and then moved to the sites

• Limestone in its bed is soft enough to be cut by stone tools. Limestone hardens in the sun.

• Pyramids built without metal tools

• Maya are famous for their insanely perfect precision.

“Ruler A” Funerary Vessel700 AD

Found in royal tomb beneath Temple 1, Tikal. Vessel embodies idea of the ruler as an eternally youthful provider (Maize God).

Jade was a featured material in these royal tombs, for it was the color of water, of maize, and of the tail plumes of the regal quetzal bird.

Vase Showing Maya Dignitary

200-800 ADceramic

Painted Maya vessels are the most extraordinary ceramic art of the New World

In the lively paintings and carvings that encircle their exteriors, Maya pots provide a window on ancient religion, ancient story telling, and even the way art came to be made.

In this polychrome cylinder the lord, seated on a table throne beneath a canopy, wears only the skirt, jewelry, and headdress suitable for an interior event.

The lord shown in this vessel gestures towards a coarsely featured attendant, possible a captive, who kneels in submission with arms crossed on his chest.

Chocolate Drinking Vessel, with the Hero Twins. Late Classic (600-900 AD).