Tikal and Flores - The Rough Guide to Belize - page 161

Temple III
he West Plaza , behind Temple II, is dominated by a large, Late Classic temple on its
north side, and scattered with various altars and stelae. From here, the Tozzer Causeway -
one of the raised routes that connected the main parts of the city - leads west to
Temple III , covered in jungle vegetation. The last of Tikal's great temples to be
constructed, Temple III was inaugurated by the city's thirtieth lord of Tikal on the day
of a solar eclipse in 810 AD. At the time of writing, it was under scaffolding, after a
lightning strike in 2013 caused a 16ft crack in its fragile crest.
Around the back of the temple is a huge palace complex, of which only the
Bat Palace has been restored. Further down the causeway, on the left, Complex N
consists of another set of twin pyramids, where the superbly carved Stela 16 depicts
Hasaw Chan K'awil.

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Temple IV
Looming at the end of the Tozzer Causeway, the massive Temple IV is, at 210ft, Tikal's
tallest structure. Built in 741 AD, it is thought by some archeologists to be the resting
place of the ruler Yik'in Chan K'awil , whose image was depicted on wooden lintels built
into the top of the temple.
To reach the top, you climb a wooden staircase at the side. This is the prime vantage
point used by each morning's guided sunrise tours (see p.166), but whatever time you
come, the views from the stone terraces at the summit, which can accommodate
hundreds of visitors at a time, are utterly magnificent. All around you the green carpet
of forest canopy stretches to the horizon, interrupted only by the towering roof combs
of other temples.

The Plaza of the Seven Temples and Mundo Perdido
South of Temple III, the Plaza of the Seven Temples forms part of a complex that dates
back to before Christ. Its north side holds an unusual triple ball-court, while the
unexcavated South Acropolis lies to the east.
Immediately west of here, the Mundo Perdido or Lost World - which took its modern
name from the novel by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle - is a magical and very distinct
section of the site, with its own atmosphere and architecture. Its main feature, the
Great Pyramid , is a 105ft-high structure whose surface conceals four earlier versions,
the first dating from 700 BC. From the top of the pyramid you'll get incredible views
toward Temple IV and the Great Plaza, and makes another excellent spot from which
to watch the sunrise or sunset.

Temple V
Located just behind the Central Acropolis, Temple V is best approached from the Plaza
of the Seven Temples, for a superb view of the creamy limestone of its broad and
freshly restored monumental staircase. An extremely steep wooden stairway to the left
of the ancient stone one allows visitors to climb to the top, for stupendous views.
Findings from the many burials here have shown that although Temple V was
previously thought to be among the last of Tikal's great temples to be built, it was in
fact the earliest, dating from around 600 AD and almost certainly constructed by
Kinich Wayna , Tikal's governor at the time. That means it was built early in the
Mid-Classic “hiatus” that followed Tikal's defeat by Lord Water of Caracol in 562 AD,
an era when experts had previously thought no new monuments were erected.

Museo Tikal
Mon-Fri 8am-4.30pm, Sat & Sun 8am-4pm • Q30
he one-room Museo Tikal , tucked away behind the main ticket booth and also known
as the Museo Cerámico , houses a collection of artefacts found at the site. While it's