Ancient Civilizations of the
Americas Lecture 13
Early Classic Tikal
Tikal- Ti-k’al “Place of Spirits” in Yucatec
Ti ak’al “At the Waterhole” Refers to reservoir in city
Ti’k’al – Place of the Count of the Katun (Coggins and
Jones)
Ancient Name: Yax Mutal “First Flower” “Topknot” (Mod.
Motul) David Stuart
History of Tikal Investigations
Site was occupied in the 19th century
Visited in 1848 by Modesto Mendez and Ambrosio Tut
1877 Dr. Gustav Bernoulli – Swiss, removed three lintels.
1881-82 Alfred Percival Maudslay – Mapped and
photographed temples.
1895, 1904 Teobert Maler – Mapped site for Peabody
Museum.
1910 Alfred Tozzer – Mapped the temples.
1914-1928 Sylvanus P.Morley – collected inscriptions.
Photographs by
A.P. Maudslay
1880’s
The Tikal Project 1955-1969
Undertaken by the University Museum of Pennsylvania
Directed by: 1) Ed Shook 1955-1961 Mapped the site and
trenched the acropolis. Aubry Trik – architect.
2) Robert S. Dyson 1962 Excavation crew numbers 100
3) William R. Coe II 1963-1969
113 professional archaeologists served on the project.
30+ volumes of reports planned
Proyecto Nacional Tikal 1979-1989
Excavated 5C-XVI Group south of the Lost World
pyramid.
Formative Tikal – The Middle Preclassic 800-600 BC
Concentrations of Eb ceramics found under the North
Acropolis and Lost World (Mundo Perdido) pyramid
Lost World Pyramid (5C-54)
Tikal was located at the edge of a lake (bajo) at a good
chert source.
No architecture discovered, apart from chultuns.
Late Preclassic 350 BC – 250 AD
•City expands along an E-W axis
•E-group constructed at Lost World complex
•Lost World pyramid originally had masks of night and
day jaguar – sun god K’inich Ahau.
•North Acropolis used for royal burials. First building
dates to 250-100 BC. Tomb decorations in Izapa style.
First version of Lost World pyramid built 500 BC
History Begins at Tikal – Burial 85, North Acropolis
Male buried in front of 5D-sub-1 1st
Martin and Grube hypothesize that it might be
Yax Ehb’ Xook founder of Classic dynasty 219-238 AD
Royal Ancestor
Extent of Settlement: AD 150
Chak Tok Ich’aak – dies Jan. 31, 378 AD,
AD 378 Teotihuacan Attacks?
General: Siyaj K’ak installs Yax Nuun Ayiin as king in AD
379
Siyaj K’ak: “Fire is Born.”
The “marcador”
Talud-Tablero style
The marcador celebrates a victory over Uaxactun, erected AD 414
Burial 10, found
Beneath temple 5D-34
North Acropolis, of
Yax Nuun Ayiin
“First Crocodile”
Dies AD 426
Ancestor
Stela 31
Accession
of Siyaj
Chan
K’awiil II
Called
Stormy
Sky in
your
Textbook
AD 436
Siyaj Chan K’awiil
Buried minus his head
and hands a year after
his death in March 457
AD. Glyphs state tomb
lies in the “Flowery
Ether of Divine Space”
Some Political Terminology from Tikal
Kuhul Ahau also spelled ajaw: King – literally means
“holy lord.” Concept changed during the Early Classic.
Chacte or Ochkin Kalomte “Lord of the West”: Emperor –
ruler of realm larger than a single city. Applied to
Spearthrower Owl.
Yajaw: Vassal, relational term.
Other contemporary (non-Tikal) terms:
Sahal: High-ranking noble
Batab: Chieftain.