Tikal Photo Gallery by Brian McMorrow at pbase.com

Tikal

Guatemala License Plate with Tikal's Temple I	Parque Nacional Tikal	Jaguar sign - Parque Nacional Tikal	Parque Nacional Tikal
Jaguar Inn, Tikal	Guest room of the Jaguar Inn, Tikal	Artwork on the information kiosk, Tikal	To the ruins
Ceiba pentandra, a large tropical tree near the beginning of the trail to the ruins	Coati that got into a fight with a can of paint	Wildlife information - Ocellated Turkey	Wildlife information - Spider Monkeys (Mono araña)
The tickets for Tikal are valid from 6 am to 6 pm. If you do the "sunrise tour", you will be expected to pay "fee" to get in	After around 20 minutes, you reach the main site	The back side of Templo I - the famous Temple of the Grand Jaguar	Buildings of the central acropolis on the south side of the Gran Plaza, Tikal
Despite skipping the sunrise tour - a waste on a rainy day - I got an early start and had the site almost to myself	Temple of the Grand Jaguar, Tikal's Templo I - ca 734 AD	One of the better preserved stelae on the Gran Plaza	At the opposite end of the Gran Plaza, Templo II - the Temple of the Mask, ca 700 AD
Stela and altar left in situ on the Gran Plaza	Temple of the Grand Jaguar - 44m tall	Templo II of Tikal, the Temple of the Mask, dedicated to the wife of Jawsaw Chan K'awiil I, the 26th ruler (682-734)	Climbing the Northern Acropolis for views of the Gran Plaza, Tikal
Templo I from the Northern Acropolis	Small temples on top of the Northern Acropolis, Tikal	At the height of Tikal around 800 AD, there were 12 temples on the Northern Acropolis	Alcove in one of the Northern Acropolis temples
Temple on the Northern Acropolis, Tikal	Temple on the Northern Acropolis, Tikal	Temple of the Grand Jaguar (Templo I) from the Northern Acropolis, Tikal	While the temples are impressive, the Maya weren't very good at building large rooms
Templo I cannot be climbed	The 38m tall Templo II, however, can be climbed using a wooden staircase on the south side	Altar and weather-beated stela on the Gran Plaza	Templo I, Gran Plaza, Tikal
The stelae in Copan are much better preserved	A contemporary Mayan altar at Tikal shows the site is still alive to the local people	The ever-impressive Temple of the Grand Jaguar, Tikal	Acending 38m to the top of Templo II, Tikal
Templo I from the stairs leading up Templo II	At the top of Templo II	The Gran Plaza of Tikal from Templo II	The Northern Acropolis from the summit of Templo II
Eye to eye with the Temple of the Grand Jaguar	Tikal's most iconic view is from the top of Templo II	Panoramic view of the Gran Plaza of Tikal and the Temple of the Grand Jaguar from the top of Templo II	Panoramic view of the Gran Plaza of Tikal and the Temple of the Grand Jaguar from the top of Templo II
TikalJan12 110.jpg	TikalJan12 116.jpg	The Gran Plaza has been in use since around 250 AD, but most of the present structures date from the 8th Century	Tikal fell with the collapse of classical Maya civilization around 900 AD
Tikal was reclaimed by the jungle and first explored in 1848 with serious archaeology commencing in 1881	A partially preserved room of the Central Acropolis	Plaza of the Central Acropolis, Tikal	Small temple at the west end of the Central Acropolis
The Central Acropolis, just south of the Gran Plaza, may have been a residence for Tikal's nobility	1200+ year old wooden beams supporting the roof of an intact chamber, Central Acropolis	A large room by Mayan standards, Central Acropolis	Wooden beams, Central Acropolis
Looking back out to the courtyard of the Central Acropolis	Room using the Corbel Arch principle	Corbel Arches are not true arches and limit the size of the interior chambers	Mayan Corbel Arch, Tikal
Interior chamber, Central Acropolis, Tikal	Interior chamber, Central Acropolis, Tikal	Looking across the valley to the peak of Templo V	A tiny doorway of a building of the Central Acropolis
Where the corbel arch is not used, wooden beams support roofs and doorways	Plaza of the Central Acropolis, Tikal	View of the Gran Plaza from the Central Acropolis	North side of the Central Acropolis facing the Gran Plaza, Tikal
One of the few architectural stone carvings found at Tikal	Central Acropolis, Tikal	A chamber of the Central Acropolis	Wooden roof support beams with some design
The peak of Templo V rising above the Petén jungle	A multiple-story building, Central Acropolis	At the east end of the Central Acropolis	White-washed building at the east end of the Central Acropolis
Looking down on the plaza to the east of the Central Acropolis, Tikal	Tikal was abandoned by the end of the 10th Century	At its peak, Tikal had up to 90,000 inhabitants with the peak around 830 AD	East edge of the Central Acropolis, Tikal
A rather large but roofless chamber	Theories on the collapse of the Maya range from overpopulation to drought and crop failure to war and disease	Stone bench typical of Mayan residences	The Central Acropolis is thought to have been a palace complex
The Central Acropolis of Tikal	A rare staircase leading to the now missing upper floor	View from the top of the staircase	Acropólis Central, Tikal
Start of the jungle trail from the Central Acropolis south across the valley to Temple V	Path through the Tikal jungle	Tropical jungle of the Guatemalan lowlands	Path leading to Temple V
The massive Templo V of Tikal, 57m (187 ft)	Stairs leading up the north face of Templo V	Temple V is believed to date from the reign of Nun Bak Chak, the 25th ruler (650-679 AD)	Only the front (north) side of the temple has been fully excavated - the sides and back are a jungle covered mound
Seven Temples - Plaza de los Siete Templos, Tikal	One of the Seven Temples	The Seven Temples date to the late classical period of Mayan Civilization	Palace on the south side of the Plaza of the Seven Temples, Structure 5D-91
Chamber inside the palace, Plaza of the Seven Temples	The Seven Temples from behind (East Patio) Late Classic Period 600-900 AD	The 4th of the Seven Temples (Structure 5D-96)	Plaza of the Seven Temples - some of the ruins are still only partially excavated
Model of the Plaza of the Seven Temples, Tikal	Model of the palace at the south end of the Plaza of the Seven Temples	Temple of the Masks (E-Group) between the Lost World and the Plaza of the Seven Temples	Temple of the Masks (E-Group) between the Lost World and the Plaza of the Seven Temples
Mundo Perdido - Lost World, Tikal	Templo de los Calaveras on the west side of the Plaza of the Seven Temples	El Mundo Perdido - the Lost World, Tikal	At the southwest corner of Tikal - El Mundo Perdido, the Lost World
Another rare Tikal stone carving - this one on the small moss covered temple in the previous photo	The Lost World Pyramid (Structure 5C-54) - built upon four earlier pyramids, this is late pre-classic period, ca 250 AD	Each new pyramid was built on top of the previous one, with the oldest here dating to 600 BC	Mundo Perdido - Lost World, Tikal
Mundo Perdido - Lost World, Tikal	Mundo Perdido - Lost World, Tikal	Jungle of the Lost World, Tikal	Chamber in the Lost World with a fully collapsed roof
The jungle trail leading back to Temple V as the sun tries to break through the clouds	After a rainy morning, the day might be salvaged after all	Temple V, Tikal	The 57m (187ft) tall Temple V to the south of the unexcavated Central Acropolis, Tikal
Temple V is the second tallest at Tikal, but it was not possible to climb during my visit	Jungle of Tikal	Back on the Gran Plaza mid-day as the sun starts to shine	Temple of the Gran Jaguar
Jasaw Chan K'awiil I, the 26th Ruler of TIkal, also known as Ah Cacao (682-734 AD) is buried in Temple I	Stela on the Gran Plaza, Tikal	Mask uncovered from the façade of an earlier structure buried within the Northern Acropolis, Tikal	Mask uncovered from the façade of an earlier structure buried within the Northern Acropolis, Tikal
Mask uncovered from the façade of an earlier structure buried within the Northern Acropolis, Tikal	Giant mask, Northern Acropolis, Tikal	Mask uncovered from the façade of an earlier structure buried within the Northern Acropolis, Tikal	The poorly preserved remains of a second mask inside the Northern Acropolis
Temple II - Temple of the Masks, at the west end of the Gran Plaza, Tikal	The summit shrine of Temple II, Tikal	Temple II from the North Acropolis	Temple II, the most heavily restored of Tikal
Temple II, Gran Plaza	Temple of the Grand Jaguar from the Northern Acropolis	One of a dozen temples atop the Northern Acropolis	The Northern Acropolis, Tikal
Tourists enjoying the view from the top of Temple II	Temple II from the top of the Northern Acropolis	While not overcrowded, the atmosphere of the plaza midday is quite different from the solitude of early morning	Temple II in the sunshine, Tikal
Temple II of Tikal	The shrine of Temple II during a temporary break in the poor weather	Grand Plaza of Tikal from the Northern Acropolis	Gran Plaza and Temple II, Tikal
Temple II, Tikal	Northern Acropolis, Tikal	Northern Acropolis, Tikal	Northern Acropolis, Tikal
Temple II, Tikal	Northern Acropolis with a shelter protecting a stela left in situ	Stela at the base of the Northern Acropolis, Tikal	Weathered stela on the Grand Plaza of Tikal
Temple II and the Grand Plaza of Tikal	Temple I - Temple of the Grand Jaguar	Temple II, Tikal	The stairways leading up to the summit of Temple II, Tikal
Mayan Altar, Tikal	Ocellated Turkey (Meleagris ocellata)	Ocellated Turkey (Meleagris ocellata)	Ocellated Turkey (Meleagris ocellata)
Ocellated Turkey (Meleagris ocellata)	Ocellated Turkey (Meleagris ocellata)	A break in the jungle gives a view of the top of unexcavated Temple III	Returning to the Lost World after the midday visit back at the Gran Plaza
The Lost World, Tikal	North face of the Lost World Pyramid (the Great Pyramid)	Lost World - Talud-Tablero Temple (Structure 5C-49)	Talud-Tablero Temple, the second largest pyramid in the Lost World of Tikal
Talud-Tablero Temple, 22m tall with a ruined shrine at the summit	Like most large Mayan structures, the Talud-Tablero Temple was constructed in layers with the earliest dating to the 3rd Century	Stairs on the southern face of the Talud-Tablero Temple (	Climbing the Talud-Tablero Temple of the Mundo Perdido
The first explorers found the lair of a jaguar in the summit shrine	The Pyramid of the Lost City from the summit of the Talud-Tablero Temple	Stairs leading to the largest of Tikal's pyramids, Temple IV at the west end of the city	The summit shrine of Temple IV, ca 741 AD
Summit shrine of Temple IV	View of Tikal from the top of Temple IV made famous as the Rebel Base on the planet of Yavin in Star Wars	The Great Pyramid of the Lost World from the top of Temple IV	The comb of the unrestored Temple III from the summit of Temple IV
The two main pyramids of Tikal's Gran Plaza (Temple I & II) from the top of Temple IV	The summit of Temple IV is a good place to spot the Orange-breasted Falcon	Orange-breasted Falcon (Falco deiroleucus)	Temples I & II rise out of the jungle
Excavation occurring at Temple IV in 2012	The excavated northeast corner of Temple IV	Following the Calzada Maudslay (causeway) NE from Temple IV leads to Complexes M & P	Complex P on the north side of Tikal
Temple in Complex P, about 1 km north of the Gran Plaza	The back side of this temple was not excavated	Complex P, Tikal	Complex P, Tikal
Complex P, Tikal	Bats in one of the temples of Complex P	Unexcavated ruin covered in trees and some altar pieces	This Carved Rock Records the Capture of the Ruler Wilan Tok Wayib by the Tikal Ruler Yik'in Chan K'awil
Stone dedicated to the capture of a neighboring Ruler, 8 December 748 AD	An altar and stele, Complex O, North Tikal	Broken altars and fallen stele, North Tikal	Pale-Billed Woodpecker (Campephilus g. guatemalensis)
A tree covered mound indicates an unexcavated building	Altar and stela, Complex R north of the Grand Plaza, Tikal	Stela under a protective thatched roof, Complejo R, Tikal	Complex R of Tikal
One of the Twin Pyramids of Complex Q, North Tikal	To get an idea of the size of Tikal, it's a 35 minute walk from Complex Q to the Gran Plaza	Well preserved entryway leading to a stela and altar, Complex Q	Stela, Complex Q
Altar, Complex Q, Tikal	Detail of the Stela of Complex Q	Road leading to the neighboring ruins at Uaxactun, 23km north of Tikal	Map of Tikal - to explore the whole site requires a lot of walking
Back at the main entrance	A pool in Tikal - Danger Crocodiles!	Model of the City of Tikal at the Visitor's Center	Temple IV in the foreground looking southeast at Temple III, the Southern Acropolis, Plaza of the 7 Temples and the Lost City
Visitor's Center model - the Lost City	Model of the Great Pyramid of the Lost City	Model of the Plaza of the Seven Temples, the Southern Acropolis, Temple V and the Gran Plaza	Model with the unexcavated Southern Acropolis
Visitor's Center model of the Gran Plaza of Tikal	Model of the Central Acropolis	Model of the remote Temple VI which I did not visit	TikalJan12 509.jpg
The Gran Plaza, Templo V and the Southern Acropolis	Panoramic view of the Visitor's Center model of the City of Tikal at its peak	Some of Tikal's better stelae are preserved in a museum by the Visitor's Center	The gate to Tikal National Park
Guatemala - Snake Crossing	Coatimundi - Guatemala

comment |

click on thumbnails for full image

Type your message and click Add Comment

It is best to login or register first but you may post as a guest. Enter an optional name and contact email address. Name
Name Email
help	private comment