Tikal - Greatest
of all Classic Mayan Cities!
 Parque Nacional Tikal
is located in Guatemala, about 50 miles
northwest of it's border with Belize. In this
remote area, one of the greatest civilizations of it's
time
established
a city that endured for centuries.
Set in the jungle
canopy, the site today consists of over 3,000 buildings,
including a handful of impressively tall temples that
tower above the forest. At its peak some 1,500 years
ago, Tikal was home to an estimated 100,000 Mayans.
As is the case with all Mayan sites, the origins of
Tikal are only barely discernible. Findings
of pottery dating from a few hundred years before
Christ
give evidence that Tikal was inhabited then.
By the time of Christ, the Great Plaza had already
taken
its basic form, with platforms and stairways
on the north side.
 Tikal
is a place for wondering, not only
at the engineering accomplishments of the Maya,
but at the
jungle splendors of the Peten region in Guatemala.
The site of Tikal is a national park where
the native flora and fauna still flourish relatively
undisturbed. In
addition to it's numerous well-excavated temples
and pyramids,
Tikal presents an excellent opportunity for animal-
and bird-watching. Along the paths, spider and
howler
monkeys,
gray foxes and red coatis are visible to the visitor.
Today, one can sit
atop a pyramid, gaze at the Great Plaza and roof
combs rising up from the sea of jungle and imagine the
times more than a thousand years ago when the plaza
was alive with activity and the city was surround by
cultivated fields dotted with houses.
But one can do little
more than imagine. There is no coherent history
of Tikal and there may
never be one. Bits and pieces of information
are picked up from drawings on pottery and bone,
finds of tools, similarities in artistic styles
between Tikal and other Mayan and Non-Mayan centers,
and the few glyphs that have been deciphered
up to now.
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The combination of
archaeological remains and the natural environment
of the Petén makes Tikal the only place in the
world which has been declared both a Natural and a Cultural Heritage Site for Humanity.
OVERNIGHT at Hotel La
Casona de la Isla in Flores or
stay within the park at the
Jungle Lodge Hotel, where a 1 km walk
will take you to the very heart of Tikal -
The
Central Plaza (Plaza Major).
See
our sample Overnight Tikal
Vacation Package for more options.
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