"Mayan Civilization At Its Grandest " a Parque Nacional Tikal Travel Page by NitnyLeo

Peaking out from the jungle canopy of the eastern Guatemalan lowlands, the pyramids at Tikal mark the religious, political and commercial center of Mayan civilization in its "golden age". While there are shards that indicate that the area had been occupied since the 7th century BC, the great temples were not erected unitl the 7-8th (temples 1,2,4,5) centuries AD. Temple 3 (hidden by temple 5 in the photo) is presumed to have been the last pyramid built at Tikal (9th century AD). Temple 3 is different and represents a new idea in pyramid building; 1st, it is missing the gargantuan "stela" at its peak; and, 2nd, the peak is approachable from all 4 sides and resembles El Castillo in Chichen Itza.
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At its height, in the 8th century AD, Tikal had a population of 100,000. One must keep in mind that Tikal proper, was reserved for the elite, noble class. The peon class lived outside this sacred city in their miserable little huts. (I don't know whether the population figure includes the peon class who built the city.
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The Grand Plaza was the ceremonial center of Tikal. While it looks nice with its carpet of grass now, one has to keep in mind that the Mayans were firm believers in deforestation. They covered the entire Grand Plaza with chipped limestone and resurfaced it every 150 years.
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The Grand Plaza is defined by 4 structures......
Temple Of The Great Jaguar (Temple I)...built about 700 AD and was the burial site of Ah Cacau (King Chocolate)...while it is only 145 ft high, it is very steep and is off limits to climbing...the touristas keep falling off.
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Temple of the Masks (Temple II)...built mid-8th century AD by Ah Cacau (to honor his wife?)...at 125 feet it is an easy climb.
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South Acropolis
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North Acropolis

Tikal National Park is just as much a nature preserve as it is an archaeological site. The park is about 222 square miles; the archaeological site is only about 10 square miles.
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In spite of the crowds, you'll see a lot of macaws and parrots, oscillated turkeys, coatimundi, howler monkeys... The guide kept kidding about jaguars, but they're pretty shy...if you see one, he must be hungry....real hungry.