Tikal, The Maya City
Tikal
Ancient City of the Maya
Introduction
• The ancient Maya city of Tikal is located deep in the heart of
Guatemala`s El Peten rainforest.
• Tikal was once the major cultural and population center of the Maya
civilization
• Today Tikal National Park is a sanctuary for the archaeological
monuments, and for endangered wildlife such as ocelots, monkeys,
toucans, parrots, and jaguars.
• Tikal is one of the largest ancient Maya sites, covering 60 square
miles
Location
Tikal is located in modern day Guatemala
A panorama time lapse at sunset overlooking the Great Plaza from the North Acropolis.
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Some of the earliest temples at Tikal date back to 4th century BC
Tikal is the modern name for the site. Hieroglyphic inscriptions show that
the ancient Maya called the site “Yax Mutal”
Location
• Tikal’s location between two rivers allowed Tikal to become a great
trade, religious, and political center that dominated the region at
times during the Classic Period (200 AD to 850 AD.)
• Tikal reached its peak population of approximately 55,000 people
around AD 700.
• The city itself contained many different structures inside its
boundaries. These structures included temples, pyramids, shrines,
ball courts, cermonial structures and resident areas.
Tikal Abandoned
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Site abandoned by the
end of the 10 the
century
Possible reasons for
the abandonment
include overpopulation,
environmental
degradation, drought
and the Maya's long
history of warfare
After site abandonment
Tikal was overgrown by
the jungle
Tikal was largely
forgotten, except as a
legend about a lost city
of the Maya
Site Re-discovery
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Site was rediscovered in 1846 by
a gum-collector
named Ambrosio Tut
Ambrosio spotted
Tikal’s temple roof
combs rising out of
the jungle
The discovery of the
site was published in
the 1853 by the Berlin
Academy of Science
Many expeditions to
study the site soon
followed
Temples I and II rising out of the jungle
First Archaeological Study of Tikal
• In 1956 The University of Pennsylvania began the first
archaeological study and excavation of Tikal
• Before the excavation, much of the site was covered by the jungle
• Archaeologist created a map of Tikal’s 4,000 structures
• Structures include: temples, ball courts, palaces, residential
complexes and causeways.
Map of Tikal
• Map of the the site
Panorama of the grand Plaza
Panorama photograph of the Great Plaza and Central Acropolis
Pyramids
• Tikal feature 6 large
step pyramids,
Temples I-VI
• Some of the
pyramids are over 60
meters (200 feet) tall
Temples served many purposes
-Platforms used in
religious rituals
-Observatories
-Tombs for rulers
Temples constantly added to
Whenever a new ruler came in to
power, he would build a new layer
on an existing pyramid or built a
new pyramid
Maya Pyramids vs Egyptian Pyramids
Built of small cut stones on a rubble
core
Built of large blocks of cut stone
Served many functions-temple, tombs,
platform for public ceremonies
Built as as a tomb for pharaohs
Often built on top of older, existing
temples and pyramids
Technology
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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 build without metal tools, pulleys or
wheels
Maya pyramids have
very steep steps
• 3-D tour of the Grand Plaza
3-D Tour of Grand Plaza
QuickTime™ and a
Sorenson Video 3 decompressor
are needed to see this picture.
Movie: 3-D Tour of the Grand Plaza
Temple I
Large carved piece of stone,
or stelae often depicted
historical events or religious
stories
Temple 1, or Temple of the Jaguar
Temple I was built for the 26th ruler of Tikal, Jasaw.
The building date is unknown as it is unclear if Jasaw
built it for himself or if his son, Yik`in, constructed it in
honor of his deceased father.
Temple II
Temple II, or Temple of the
Moon
Built in the eighth-century Tikal
ruler Jasaw Chan K`awiil
Temple II is dedicated to King
Jasa’s wife, Lady Twelve
Macaw (died 704 A.D.)
Lady Twelve Macaw is buried
inside this temple.
Temple IV is currently undergoing
restoration. It has not been fully excavated.
In this picture you can see the jungle still
covering part of the temple
• Temple IV is the tallest
structure at Tikal.
• Temples IV is 70 meters in
height and is the second
tallest structure built by the
Maya.
• Built by Yik`in Chan Kawil,
son of Jasaw, in the mid-8th
century.
• Temple contains a tomb,
however, archaeologists
have not identified the owner
of the tomb
The Central Acropolis
• The Central Acropolis
Central Acropolis
The Central Acropolis, on the right
Temple II to the left
Most of its buildings are of the socalled palace type, probably used
for daily functions of the royal court.
The North Acropolis
• The North Acropolis was the focus of
the city`s religious architecture and the
preferred place of burial for rulers
• Dozens of tombs dating back well into
the Preclassic period.
Maya architectural features
Roof Comb
Decorative structure that sit on
top of a building
Roofcombs were elaborately
decorated with images
important to the Maya
people
Roof combs acts as billboards
projecting poltical and
religious messages to the
people
The roof comb of Temple II, also known as the
Temple of the Mask has a very large roof comb.
The roof comb still contain traces of the oringal
jaguars, mask etc
Ball courts
Tikal has five ball courts.
Ball games played as a a sacred ritual
and had an important role in Maya
religion and culture
Ball courts are often located in or
adjacent to important ceremonial and
monumental areas.
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Ballgames played as an
important ritual ceremony
Exact rules of the game are
unknown, but some rules have
been learned from images of the
ballgame on carved stone and
painted on pottery
Game played with a heavy solid
rubber ball
Object of the game was probably
to keep the ball in play using
hips and forearms
Courts had stone rings which
may have been used as goals