Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
5
Stela 22
(the original is in the Museo Lítico), in the small enclosure set to one side,
record the ascension to the throne in 768 AD of Tikal's last known ruler,
Chitam
. He's
portrayed in full regalia, complete with enormous, sweeping headdress and staff of
authority.
The Great Plaza
Surrounded by four massive structures, the
Great Plaza
at the heart of the ancient city
was the focus of ceremonial activity at Tikal for around a thousand years. Indeed, the
local Maya still use it; an altar for indigenous worship was established in its grassy
central area in 2002, and you may see traditional ceremonies taking place.
Stand right in the middle of the plaza to appreciate its remarkable acoustic properties.
Any sharp sound, such as clapping your hands, will ricochet off the staircase of Temple
II to create a multiple
echo
at the exact pitch of the cry of the quetzal.
Temple I
Temple I
, a steep pyramid topped by a three-room building and a hollow roof comb
that was originally brightly painted, has become celebrated as the symbol of the entire
site of Tikal. Also known as the
Gran Jaguar
, it was built as a burial monument to
contain the magnificent
tomb of Hasaw Chan K'awil
, whose face is visible right at the
top. Within the tomb, six yards below the temple's core, the ruler's skeleton was found
facing north, surrounded by more than sixteen pounds of jade, along with pearls,
seashells and stingray spines - a traditional symbol of human sacrifice. A few pieces of
magnificent pottery were also discovered, depicting a journey to the underworld made
in a canoe rowed by mythical animals.
The stairway is roped off, and visitors are strictly forbidden to climb to the top.
Temple I I
Facing Temple I across the Great Plaza, the slightly shorter and wider
Temple II
was
built to house the tomb of Hasaw's mother. It now rises 125ft, although when its roof
comb was intact it would have been the same height as Temple I. Wooden staircases at
the back lead to the lowest of the platforms visible from below, for fabulous views
across the plaza and beyond. As an added bonus, you'll almost certainly see toucans in
the nearby branches.
The North Acropolis
he
North Acropolis
, which fills the whole north side of the Great Plaza, is one of the
most complex structures in the entire Maya world. In conventional Maya style, it was
built and rebuilt on top of itself; beneath the twelve temples visible today are the
remains of about a hundred other structures, some of which, along with two large
masks
, have been uncovered by archeologists. Facing the plaza and protected by small
thatched roofs, the features of the masks remain quite distinct. In front of the North
Acropolis are two lines of
stelae
carved with images of Tikal's ruling elite, with circular
altars at their bases. These and other stelae throughout the site bear the marks of
ritual
defacement
, carried out by newly enthroned rulers to erase any latent powers that the
image of a predecessor may have retained.
The Central Acropolis
On the south side of the Great Plaza, Tikal's
Central Acropolis
is a maze of tiny,
interconnecting rooms and stairways built around six smallish courtyards. The
buildings here are usually referred to as palaces rather than temples; their precise
use remains a mystery, but this was probably the main residential complex.
The large, two-storey building in Court 2 is known as
Maler's Palace
, named after
the archeologist Teobert Maler, who made it his home during expeditions in
1895 and 1904.
