Information AboutTikal |
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Tikal is the largest of the ancient ruined cities of the Maya Civilization . It is located in the El Petén Department of Guatemala at . Tikal in the Classic era Tikal was one of the major cultural and population centers of the Maya civilization. Monumental architecture was built here as early as the 4th Century BC . The city was at its height in the Maya Classic Period , approximately 200 AD to 850 AD, after which no new major monuments were built, some of the palaces of the elite were burned, and the population gradually declined until the site was abandoned by the end of the 10th Century . The name "Tikal" means "Place of Voices" or "Place of Tongues" in Maya, which may be an ancient name for the city, although the ancient hieroglyphs usually refer to it as Mutal or '''Yax Mutal''', meaning "Green Bundle", and perhaps metaphorically "First Prophecy". Scholars estimate that at its peak it had a population from 100,000 to 200,000. The site The site presents hundreds of significant ancient buildings, only a fraction of which have been Excavated in the decades of Archeological work. The most prominent surviving buildings include six very large step Pyramid s supporting Temple s on their tops. They were numbered geographically by early Explorer s. They were built during the city's height from the late 7th and early 9th Century . Temple I was built around 695 ; Temple III in 810 ; The largest, Temple-pyramid IV, some 72 meters (230 feet) high, was dedicated in 720 . Temple V is from about 750 . Temple VI was dedicated in 766 . The ancient city also has the remains of royal Palace s, in addition to a number of smaller pyramids, palaces, residences, and inscribed stone monuments. There is even a building which seemed to have been a Jail , originally with wooden bars across the windows and doors. There are also several courts for playing the Mesoamerican Ballgame . The residential area of Tikal covers an estimated 60 square km (23 square miles), much of which has not yet been cleared or excavated. A huge set of Earthworks has been discovered ringing Tikal with a 6 meter wide Trench behind a Rampart . Only some 9km of it has been mapped; it may have enclosed an area of some 125 km square (see below). Recently, a project exploring the earthworks has shown that the scale of the earthworks is highly variable and that in many places it is inconsequential as a defensive feature. In addition, some parts of the earthwork were integrated into a canal system. The earthwork of Tikal varies significantly in coverage from what was originally proposed and it is much more complex and multifaceted than originally thought. Ancient history of Tikal Tikal dominated the central Maya lowlands, but was often at war. Inscriptions tell of many alliances and wars with other Maya states, including with Uaxactun , Caracol , Naranjo , and Calakmul . Rulers Known rulers of Tikal include: ''King of Tikal from wooden lintel in Temple III'' Depicting either "Yax Nuun Ayin II" or "Dark Sun"
(English language names are provisional nicknames based on their identifying glyphs where rulers' Maya language names have not yet been definitively deciphered phonetically.) ''Two stelae on the North Acropolis'' Modern history of Tikal As is often the case with huge ancient ruins, knowledge of the site was never completely lost in the region. Some second- or third-hand accounts of Tikal appeared in print starting in the 17th Century , continuing through the writings of John Lloyd Stephens in the early 19th Century . Due to the site's remoteness from modern towns, however, no scientific expedition visited Tikal until 1848 . Several other expeditions came to further investigate, map, and photograph Tikal in the 19th and early 20th Century . In 1951 a small airstrip was built at the ruins, which previously could only be reached by several days travel through the jungle on foot or mule. From 1956 through 1970 major archeological excavations were made by the University Of Pennsylvania . In 1979 the Guatemalan government began a further archeological project at Tikal, which continues to this day. The ruins of Tikal (now Guatemala's Tikal National Park) is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and can be visited by the public. The closest large towns are Flores and Santa Elena , about 30 km. away. It was used as background scenery of the Rebel Base in the film Star Wars . The ruins lay on lowland Rainforest . Conspicuous trees at the Tikal park include gigantic Ceiba (''Ceiba pentandra'') the sacred tree of the Maya; tropical cedar (''Cedrela odorata''), and Mahogany (''Swietenia''). Regarding the fauna, Agouti , Spider Monkey s, Howler Monkey s, Ocellated Turkey s, Guan s, Toucan s, green Parrot s and Leaf-cutting Ant s can be seen there regularly. Jaguar s and Coati s are said to roam in the park. External links
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