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Tikal: Guatemala and Mexico

The Mayas and their civilisation

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109 views

Tikal: Guatemala and Mexico

The Mayas and their civilisation

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Νικόλαος Μηλιώνης
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© © All Rights Reserved
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HOME | The Ancient Maya | The Maya Today

Guatemala and Mexico


THE ANCIENT MAYA

Mysteries of a lost civilization


The Maya of central America reached
remarkable intellectual and artistic heights
during the Classic period of their great
civilization, between around AD 250 and 900.
They built huge temples and pyramids,
inscribed stone monuments, made major
advances in mathematics and astronomy, and
developed complex hieroglyphic scripts. But
their great civilization was doomed to undergo
a mysterious collapse that would leave their
mighty temples and pyramids abandoned....

Tikal
During the Classic period of the Maya
civilization, the great city of Tikal thrived in
dense lowland jungle of what is now part
of Guatemala. In the ceremonial heart of
the city were palaces and lofty pyramids
topped by temples. The Tikal pyramids
include the highest known structure built
in the Americas before the arrival of
Europeans. Around AD 900, Tikal declined
as Maya civilization in the region suffered
the mysterious collapse that marked the
end of their Classic period.

Temple I at Tikal - the Temple of the Great


Jaguar - sits on a towering pyramid built
over the tomb of King Hasaw Chan K'awil.

Possible reasons for the


collapse of the great Maya
cities like Tikal include
overpopulation, environmental
degradation, drought and the
Maya's long history of warfare.
Over the ensuing centuries, the
abandoned buildings of Tikal
were reclaimed by the jungle.
Some structures have now
been cleared and restored, but
most of Tikal still lies beneath a
canopy of tropical forest alive
with birdsong and the calls of
howler monkeys.

Copan
The stelae which stood in the plazas of
major Classic period Maya sites are
impressive examples of Maya art.
Most of these great stone monuments
depict rulers and hieroglyphic texts
that extol their feats. Some of the
most impressive stelae are those at
the Maya site of Copan in Honduras,
close to the Guatemala border.

Maya art and culture at their peak are


well represented at Copan. These stone
sculptures are now in the museum at
the site.

Palenque
Morning mists clear from the lush forests of the
Mexican Chiapas highlands to reveal the ruins
of Palenque. This Maya center reached its peak
during the late Classic period, after around AD
600. This time included the reign of the great
ruler Hanab Pakal when Palenque flourished as
a major power. After Palenque mysteriously
declined around the same time as Tikal, the
Chiapas forests enveloped the fine buildings
and hid a remarkable secret for centuries....

Stone reliefs at Palenque

....On top of a tall pyramid at Palenque is


the Temple of the Inscriptions that holds
hieroglyphic panels recounting the
history of Pakal's ancestors. The secret
of the temple was discovered in the 1950s
when a hidden stairway was uncovered
below the floor. The twisting tunnel led
down through the interior of the pyramid
to a crypt. When a huge stone slab
covered in relief carvings was moved, the
tomb of Pakal and jade treasures were
found beneath it.
The Temple of the Inscriptions at Palenque is set
against a steep, forested hillside.

Uxmal
While Maya civilization was collapsing in the
central and southern lowlands toward the
end of the Classic period, it continued to
flourish further north in the Yucatan
Peninsula of Mexico. Uxmal emerged at this
time as a major site. Uxmal was built in a
distinctive architectural style known as Puuk
which features facades with elaborate
mosaic decoration. Ultimately, even Uxmal
could not avoid the upheavals in the Maya
lands and its fine buildings were also
abandoned by the time of the Spanish
conquest.
The mighty Pyramid of the Magician at Uxmal.

The Pyramid of the Magician rises into a


stormy Mexican sky. Entry to the upper
temple is through a monster-mask doorway.

Chichen Itza
The upheavals in the Maya lands

Images of the rain god Chac are everywhere


at Uxmal. In an area in which water was
scarce, Chac was deeply venerated by the
Maya.

toward the end of the Classic period


saw Maya peoples with Mexican
influences moving into the Yucatan.
One such group were the Itza who
settled at Chichen Itza. The history of
the site is uncertain and it may be that
a conquest by the Toltecs from the
north reinforced Mexican influences
here in the Post-Classic period. The
cult of the feathered serpent
Quetzalcoatl was introduced and the
deity became known to the Maya as
Kukulkan.

The impressive Temple of Kukulkan, or El


Castillo, at Chichen Itza was dedicated to the
cult of the feathered serpent deity. At each
equinox, sunshine and shadow form the illusion
of a serpent creeping down the steps.

A chacmool. These bizarre sculptures may have been


introduced by the Toltecs. They grasp a receptacle
probably used for offerings or to hold the hearts of
sacrifice victims.

Human sacrifice became


increasingly important at Chichen
Itza. This is part of a relief on the
Platform of Skulls, where the
heads of victims were displayed.

More from

THE MAYA TODAY

Photos of today's Maya.

OTHER DESTINATIONS

Pictures from Egypt, Syria, Jordan,

India, Nepal, Peru, Namibia and African safaris.

GUEST BOOK

For feedback. Thank you.

Maya girl

KEY RESEARCH SOURCES


THE MAYA by Michael D. Coe. THE ANCIENT
MAYA by Robert J. Sharer. THE LORDS OF
TIKAL by Peter D. Harrison. CHRONICLE OF THE
MAYA KINGS AND QUEENS by Simon Martin and
Nikolai Grube. FOREST OF KINGS: UNTOLD
STORY OF THE ANCIENT MAYA by David Freidel
and Linda Schele.

Maya links

Copyright notice
All pictures and text on this website are
1999-2004 Steve Underwood.
All rights reserved. Please do not copy
pictures to other websites.

JAGUAR SUN

TIKAL

A site by Jeeni Criscenzo that explores the


history, culture and religion of the Maya, and
discusses the continuing threats to the Mayan
way of life.

An account of a visit to Tikal, with information


for other visitors and brief historical notes.
From Boots n All.

MADE UP OF TIME

MUNDO MAYA
Online version of a magazine that specializes in
Maya culture. Articles about Maya archaeology,
history and daily life.

THE FALL OF THE MAYAN CIVILISATION


Jessica Cecil investigates an ancient
apocalypse. From BBC Archaeology and
Ancient History.

Guide to the Maya ruins of Guatemala and


Mexico from The Great Outdoor Recreation
Pages.

DESTINATION GUATEMALA
A Lonely Planet travel guide to Guatemala with
information on history, culture, where to go and
what to see.

DESTINATION MEXICO
Another excellent Lonely Planet travel guide.

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