International Destinations

Tikal - Guatemala's Great Maya Capital

By Toni Dabbs
Photo by Toni Dabbs

It was 8:30 a.m. in Tikal National Park, the ancient Maya ceremonial center at the heart of the vast rainforest that covers virtually all of northern Guatemala.

Already I had scaled the Temple of the Masks to watch the sun rise over the Temple of the Great Jaguar, hiked through dense jungle of ceiba, mahogany and sapodilla trees, and climbed a labyrinth of wooden ladders to the crown of the Temple of the Two-Headed Serpent, the highest structure at Tikal. All this without breakfast.

The park vendor setting out his snack foods was a welcome sight, and I happily became his first customer of the day. I should say first paying customer. Because as he served me, a spider monkey sidled up behind him, snatched a package of potato chips and scurried back into the jungle.

Wildlife viewing in the cool morning hours had been a trump card in persuading certain members of our group to leave the comfort of the Hotel Camino Real at 4:30 a.m. for a bumpy bus ride to Tikal. No one was disappointed.

The chip thief was neither the first nor only spider monkey we saw. Others swung law abidingly through the jungle canopy as we hiked below. Coatimundis snuffled in underbrush beside the paths, and gray foxes scampered across the ruins.

An ocellated turkey, its iridescent feathers reflecting the morning light, strutted across the main plaza, while toucans flitted among trees on the perimeter. The hum of cicadas provided background music as we walked though the rainforest, occasionally crossing lengthy "super highways" of leaf cutter ants carrying their loads like little green sails down a tree trunk and across the jungle floor.

Of course, our main purpose in visiting Tikal was to explore the remains of the great Maya capital, one of the largest cities in the Western Hemisphere around the year 500, when its population peaked at approximately 100,000.

In Tikal's heyday, merchants worked the crowded plazas, selling ceramic vessels and jade ornaments fashioned by local artisans. Noblemen strolled the paved causeways between temple complexes. Palaces, bathhouses, reservoirs and ball courts completed the city scape, while on its outskirts, farmers employed irrigation to cultivate beans, corn and other crops.

Tikal was an important religious, cultural and commercial center for more than a century, from the time the Maya settled the area around 600 BCE until their empire collapsed circa 900. The city's majestic monuments remained standing but became camouflaged as thick tropical foliage grew over them.

An expedition financed by the government of Guatemala rediscovered the site in 1848. However, archaeological excavations were not undertaken until Tikal National Park was created in 1955. In 1979, UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) declared the site a Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

To date, 31 square kilometers containing more than 4,000 structures have been mapped. Although the site is remarkable for size alone, it also is noteworthy for certain building characteristics.Roof combs, ornamental pieces reminiscent of the hair combs worn by Spanish women, project above all major temples at Tikal. These structures, topping vaulted rooms, were decorated with stone friezes depicting the entity to whom the temple was dedicated.

Corbel arches also are common features. These self-supporting structures were built like upside-down staircases, formed by overlapping rows of stones so that each row extended farther into the opening toward the opposite wall. They permitted construction of spacious interior vaults.

One of Tikal's more impressive structures is part of the complex known as the Lost World. It is the site's oldest visible building and the Maya's earliest existing astronomical observatory the Great Pyramid, designed with steps on all four sides and no summit temple.

The most remote structure is the Temple of the Inscriptions at the very end of the one-kilometer Mendez Causeway. Its roof comb displays the longest hieroglyphic text at Tikal, including a date that translates as 766.

Day trippers from Guatemala City, 250 kilometers to the south, have time for only a brief glimpse of the extensive site. At least two full days are necessary for a thorough examination. However, with a good guide and an early start from a nearby hotel, such as we had, much of Tikal can be seen in a single day.

Three hotels lie within park boundaries, including the Jungle Lodge, originally built as housing for archaeologists excavating and restoring Tikal. Other accommodations in the area are as varied as the rustic El Sombrero and the luxurious Hotel Camino Real.

The best time to visit Tikal is from December through February, the dry season, when temperatures are cool and mosquitos are scarce. The rainy season, from July through September, tends to be the most hot and humid.

For information write to the Guatemala Tourism Commission (INGUAT) at Centro Cívico, 7A Avenida 1-17, Zona 4, Guatemala City 01004, Guatemala or see their website: www.visitguatemala.com.

IF YOU GO

Getting There: Santa Elena International Airport is located on the south shore of Lake Peten Itza, a flight of just under an hour from Guatemala City. Transportation, guides and organized tours to Tikal National Park, about an hour's drive away, can be arranged upon arrival at the airport.

Flores: Flores is the capital of Peten, the province in which Tikal is located. It occupies a small island in Lake Peten Itza, with a causeway connecting it to the shore. The city is a picturesque maze of narrow streets lined with brightly painted wooden houses, and it has hotels, restaurants and other tourist services.

Yaxha: For an idea of how Tikal looked before it was excavated, people can visit Yaxha, one of several other Maya ruins in the area. Except for the top of one temple, Yaxha's 500 structures appear only as mounds and hillocks overgrown by dense jungle. An informed guide can explain what lies beneath.

Actun Kan: This cave, located just outside Santa Elena, might have been used for ritual worship by Maya living in the area. No archaeological relics remain, but it has some large chambers and interesting natural formations.

Museums: Near the entrance to Tikal National Park are two museums. One in the Visitors Center houses several noteworthy stelae (free-standing limestone tablets that commemorate important events) and early photographs of the site. Another near the Jungle Lodge contains small artifacts found among the ruins, including painted pottery and engraved bones depicting scenes of Maya life.