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Tikal
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- Name
- Tikal
- Continent
- THE AMERICAS
- Alt Name:
- -
- Country:
- Guatemala
- Period:
- Maya
- Sub-Region:
- -
- Date:
- 300BC - 201BC
- City/Town:
- Tikal
- Figure:
- -
- Resorts:
- Flores,
- Related:
- Quirigua Archaeological Park, Guatemala National Archaeology and Etymology Museum,
Dos Pilas, Yaxha,
about Tikal
Tikal National Park near Flores in Guatemala houses one of the world’s most famous and impressive Maya sites, known as Tikal. In fact, Tikal was a major ceremonial site in the Maya culture, with many temples and pyramids built there between 300 BC and 100BC and then further expansion taking place from 600 AD to 800 AD.
In addition to its ceremonial significance, Tikal was a thriving settlement, a political hub and almost certainly the capital of its region. Tikal has been linked with the Maya city of Teotihuacan in modern Mexico, with which it is believed that it interacted.
Today, visitors to Tikal are greeted with a wealth of well-preserved monuments, palaces, structures and temples. This UNESCO World Heritage site actually has a staggering 3,000 or so ancient structures mostly dating back to between 600 BC and 900 AD, six of which are fully uncovered. Amongst these are five magnificent pyramids, some of them being crowned with temples and the largest one being an impressive 213 feet tall.
Note the sacrificial altars, such as that at the Temple of the Masks, and also try out the acoustics, which were designed so that people could be heard from the tops of the temples down to the bottom of the pyramids.
Main image by Hector Garcia (cc).
Just as empires rise and fall so do entry fees and opening hours! While we work as hard as we can to ensure the information provided here about Tikal is as accurate as possible, the changing nature of certain elements mean we can't absolutely guarantee that these details won't become a thing of the past. If you know of any information on this page that needs updating you can add a comment above or now.
contact details
Address: Tikal, Peten Region, Guatemala
Phone: +502 23 67 28 37
useful information
Directions:
Tikal’s ruins are located in the Tikal National Park in Guatemala’s north eastern Peten region. Being in the centre of the jungle, it is not the most accessible place and most people travel with an organised tour. Most people fly in to Flores Mundo Maya Airport, to which there are flights from, amongst others, Guatemala City and Cancun. Then, get a transfer to the site. It is advisable to have this all arranged in advance.
Ticket Information:
Tikal is open daily, 6am-6pm. Entry costs $20.
Links:
http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/64
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tikal
http://www.tikalpark.com
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