Between 600 B.C. and A.D. 900, the ancient Maya city of Tikal thrived. It became a great Maya city state with more than two dozen pyramids.
"At the waterhole" is the name of the modern-day Maya name. Archeologist Robert Sharer wrote in his book " The Ancient Maya, sixth edition (opens in new tab)" that it was at the center of a powerful Maya kingdom. One of the largest archaeological sites in Central America is called Tikal.
According to John Montgomery, a researcher who studied and wrote about the Maya extensively, the city spread over at least 50 square miles. In his book " The Population of Tikal: Implications for Maya Demography", the professor of anthropology at Penn State University wrote that it's likely that between 45,000 and 62,000 people lived in the city at the peak of its power. It was one of the largest cities in the area.
In order to maintain such a large population, the city's inhabitants created a sophisticated water management system that ensured people had access to water during periods of low precipitation. There was a system of dams and sand filters that were used to clear the water. The city had been using it for about 1000 years.
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Like people in other Maya cities, the residents of Tikal used a system of glyptic writing that was written on stone and on the bark of trees. The city's archaeological remains have aided scholars in reconstructing much of Tikal's past.
There are many Maya remains in Tikal, which is in Central America. Over 60,000 previously unknown Maya structures were found in Guatemala in the last year. Light detection and ranging, also known as lidar, is a method of detecting light from the ground. A virtual, three-dimensional image of the archaeological remains on the ground can be created by measuring the wavelength of the pulse that bounces back.
The "Lost World" Complex, one of the first monumental sites at Tikal, was completed around A.D. 1. People from a city called Teotihuacan are thought to have influenced the earliest inhabitants at Tikal. According to Montgomery, the earliest inhabitants at Tikal probably spoke a language from the Maya civilization.
Between 100 B.C.- A.D. 600, Teotihuacan flourished more than 600 miles away. Some of the architecture and artifacts found at Tikal show their influence, and they may even have control over the city. The city of Tikal is referred to in Maya writing as "cattail reed" and in Teotihuacan it is depicted as the rain god Tlaloc.
A ruler named Siyaj K'ak' ascended at Tikal on Sept. 13, 379, one of Teotihuacan's most notable examples. He is depicted in carvings holding a spear-thrower and wearing feathers and shells. It's possible that he was influenced by them when he became king.
There is a pyramid and courtyard at Tikal that appears to be a miniature version of a pyramid complex at Teotihuacan now known as La Ciudadela. The discovery of the miniature version was made in 2021. The miniature version of The Citadel has the same layout and orientation as the real thing, as well as artifacts related to Teotihuacan.
The city of Tikal has many pyramids. The ambitious pyramid construction projects were made possible by the Maya calendar. The rulers of the city built a twin pyramid complex at the end of every K'atun for 20 years. There was a staircase on each side of the pyramids. There were structures to the north and south between the pyramids.
Jasaw Kaan K'awil built one early example. There is a building with nine doorways on the south side and a walled enclosure on the north. Nine of the twin pyramid complexes have been found at Tikal, and construction seems to have continued until close to the city's end.
Tikal's rulers built "temple" pyramids, structures that were often marked the burial place of a ruler. Tikal's grand plaza sits between Temples I and II as they face each other at the center of the city.
The Temple of the Great Jaguar was built in the 7th century. It is about the height of a 13 story building. There is an enclosed room at the top of the stairs that has images of the ruler it was built for. He was the leader of Tikal's forces who defeated the rival Maya city of Calakmul. In 1959 archaeologists discovered Jasaw Kaan K'awil's burial chamber inside the pyramid's interior, which contained many luxury goods, including jaguars, jade and depictions of figures in canoes on human bones.
Lady Tun Kaywak is believed to be the queen of Jasaw Kaan K'awil's kingdom. She is thought to be from the city of Yaxh, which is southeast of Tikal. A political alliance was formed between the two cities. The pyramid is 125 feet tall and has three layers. An image of a woman is carved on wood at the doorway on the top. Lady Tun Kaywak wears embroidered stoles and an elaborate Sun God bonnet and her image is badly eroded.
The North Acropolis is located to the north of the temples. It was used as a burial place for the rulers of Tikal. The tomb and shrines are similar to Tikal's Valley of the Kings.
Between 350 B.C. and 200 B.C., the North Acropolis may have been started, according to a study by a professor of architecture. The acropolis is more than 1hectare.
The palace is located to the south of Temples I and II. Over the course of time, it was expanded on and changed.
It was used as early as the reign of Chak Tok Ich'aak I. There were stone benches and stairways on the east and west of the palace.
The palace grew into a complex with courtyards and a water source to the south. There is a five-story palace at the southern part of the complex.
There is a review stand on the east side of the complex that overlooks the ball court that has been excavated. The rubber ball was used in the ball game, which was popular in parts of the Western Hemisphere at the time.
The first pyramids at Tikal were built around A.D. 1. At the time it was one of the most massive structures in America.
Montgomery wrote that the complex was among the earliest of the Maya'stronomic compounds. There are several wealthy burials at this complex.
Chichen Itza, a city north of Tikal, flourished for centuries despite the collapse of the world around A.D 900. There is still debate as to why the collapse happened. A team of researchers reported in a study published in 2012 that there was a significant role played by the lack of rain.
The city's collapse might have been caused by pollution. According to a study published in 2020 in the journal Scientific Reports, two of Tikal's largest water sources had become polluted with high levels of mercury andphosphate.
The jungle took over after it was abandoned. Not every Maya city was abandoned. Chichen Itza became one of the largest Maya cities after the fall of Tikal.
The Maya people live on in Central America and other parts of the world, despite the collapse of Tikal and other cities.
The original article was published on Live Science on Sept. 26, 2012
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