Tikal Pt 2 - the Little Details

Tikal was a wonderland for photographic opportunities around colossal structures, but there were several smaller scenes and moments at a less grand and more human scale that I absolutely think are worth highlighting.

For instance, the city fell over 1,100 years ago, but the people still remain on the land and hold it as a sacred site. We were there on an unremarkable Friday afternoon in December (not an eclipse or other major celestial event) and a sizable group of people had gathered in the plaza between Temple 1 and 2 to have a ceremony and maintain their connection to this ancient place.

I've mentioned in the past how voracious the jungle is and how quickly it would cover up the city again given a chance. Its easy to think that, once a University leads a formal excavation that the site is preserved for an extended period, but the key structures were alive with local people manually clearing vegetation off the temples with machetes. The top of Temple 3 had a decent sized tree growing from it and our guide said that it had only been there a few months and that the top was due for another clearing shortly.

One of the few domesticated animals of the Americas, there are both the domesticated species (which became so popular in Europe in the 1500s that is now a food staple for numerous feast days), and the Ocellated Turkey, which is endemic only to the Yucatan region. Both species were eaten, sacrificed, and viewed as sacred.

The ancient Mayans revered turkeys, considering them powerful while also valuing their iridescent feathers and leg spurs.  One Mayan leader was posthumously honoured as Chak Ak'ach Yuhk, roughly translated as “Great Male Turkey, Shaker of Cities.”

Tikal Pt 1 - The Majesty

 Tikal was the capital of an ancient Maya conquest state which arose in 400BC and collapsed around 900AD. The entire 16km2 core site has been mapped and includes over 3,000 structures, most of which remain un-excavated. Major restoration by the University of Pennsylvania took place from 1956 to 1970 and it was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1979.

The modern name, adopted in the 1840s,  means “at the waterhole” in Mayan, while hieroglyphic scripts discovered more recently refer to it as Yax Mutul. Regardless of the name, it remains an important cultural space to this day, with modern Maya still conducting rituals within its grounds.

 There are 4 key tourist sites in the area. Temple 1, the “Temple of the Great Jaguar” a 47m funerary pyramid where Jasaw Chan K’awil was entombed in 734AD. Temple 2, the “Temple of the Mask” is 38m high and dedicated to the wife of Jasaw Chan K’awil but no tomb has been found. 

Temple 3, the “Temple of the Jaguar Priest” is 55m high, but the base is entirely obscured by vegetation.Our guide told us in advance that we wouldn't recognize Temple 3 even when we were at the base of it and he was not wrong.

Temple 4 is the tallest pre-Columbian structure at 70m high and marks the reign of Yik’in Chan Kawil. A wooden scaffold runs up the side, allowing you to ascend Temple 4 to the very top, offering a stunning view of the other three temples peaking out of the surrounding rain forest.

For those of you wondering how to tell a pyramid from a temple, the easy rule of thumb is that a pyramid is flat at the top while a temple has an entrance and inner chamber at the top. Based on this, the major structures at Tikal are all temples while Altun Ha, Cahel Pech, and others are predominantly pyramids.