Tikal, Guatemala

I just returned from a couple of weeks in Central America (Guatemala and Belize) and will be posting various things in the coming weeks about the trip. I thought I'd start with the Tikal ruins as, for anyone that has been there will know, it was a breathtaking experience.

Tikal is located in the Peten region of Northern Guatemala, deep in the humid jungles of Tikal National Park. My wife and I spent an entire day there with our guide, Hannibal, who was born and raised in a small village bordering the Park. His wealth of knowledge of the area was amazing. As a brief synopsis, Tikal was the capital of the vast Mayan Empire peaking in about 200 AD (the site has been dated as far back as 400 BC in some areas). The Mayans were a highly sophisticated group of the Classic Period with an empire stretching throughout present-day Mexico (Chiapas, Tabasco, and the Yucatán Peninsula states of Quintana Roo, Campeche and Yucatán), and the northern Central American region, including Guatemala, Belize, El Salvador and Honduras. As to an idea of their size, the Mayan empires in and around Tikal are said to have been populated with over a million and a half people (larger than present-day Barcelona, or San Diego). The Mayans are known for having the only fully developed written language of the pre-Columbian Americas, incredible art, monumental architecture rivaling that of the Egyptians, and sophisticated mathematical and astronomical systems. Tikal has thousands of structures, most still buried beneath trees, foliage and 1500 years of jungle growth. Tikal was long known to have existed by locals, but was "discovered" by Ambrosio Tut in 1848 who was roaming the jungles in search of chiclero - or gum, from the local gum tree.

Having spent the day there, I was most impressed with the area known as the Acropolis, and all six temples (I-VI). The six step-pyramids in Tikal are enormous pyramids, some exceeding 200 feet. Many of these pyramids can be climbed; the most memorable being temple five which must be ascended by a small, vertical, wooden ladder over 18 stories high. If you're afraid of heights, there's no chance you should try this. At the top of the pyramid you can see out miles over the jungle canopy and can spot three of the other pyramids peeking above the tree line. The view is unbelievable.

Being the amateur archaeologist that I am, I was most intrigued by the nearly 23 square mile residential area that is yet to be excavated. I'd love to be a part of the team that someday can dive into the ruins and everyday lives of the many that lived in Tikal, and built it's mighty empire.

Finally, I was more than impressed with the extent to which the Guatemalan government has gone to protect and conserve the site. Truly, the Cambodian, Egyptian and Jordanian governments (among others) would serve themselves well to take a page out of the Guatemalans book to do MUCH more to preserve their respective sites. Sure, this site is designated a UNESCO site, but for those of you that read my post on the issue, you know that this does little to no good in my eyes and much more is necessary when it comes to conservation/preservation of these magical ruins. The Guatemalan's have gone further designating the 222 square mile Tikal National Park protected land. In addition, there are adequate signs and safety measures in the Park. The government has gone so far as recording (through two checkpoints at the entrance to Tikal) every driver's speed through the Park leading up to the site to prevent drivers from speeding, and putting the native animals (jaguars included) in jeopardy of being hit. Fantastic stuff.