Yax Mutal | |
 Tikal Temple I rises 47 meters (154 ft) high.[1] | |
| Alternative name | Yax Mutal |
|---|---|
| Location | Flores, Petén, Guatemala |
| Region | Petén Basin |
| Coordinates | 17°13′19″N 89°37′25″W / 17.22194°N 89.62361°W |
| History | |
| Periods | Early Classic to Late Classic |
| Cultures | Maya civilization |
| Official name | Tikal National Park |
| Type | Mixed |
| Criteria | i, iii, iv, ix, x |
| Designated | 1979 (3rd session) |
| Reference no. | 64 |
| Region | Latin America and the Caribbean |
Tikal (/tiˈkɑːl/; Tik'al in modern Mayan orthography) is the ruin of an ancient city, which was likely to have been called Yax Mutal,[2] found in a rainforest in Guatemala.[3] It is one of the largest archeological sites and urban centers of the pre-Columbian Maya civilization. It is located in the archeological region of the Petén Basin in what is now northern Guatemala. Situated in Petén Department, the site is part of Guatemala's Tikal National Park and in 1979 it was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.[4]
Tikal was the capital of a conquest state that became one of the most powerful kingdoms of the ancient Maya.[5] Though monumental architecture at the site dates back as far as the 4th century BC, Tikal reached its apogee during the Classic Period, c. 200 to 900. During this time, the city dominated much of the Maya region politically, economically, and militarily, while interacting with areas throughout Mesoamerica such as the great metropolis of Teotihuacan in the distant Valley of Mexico. There is evidence that one of Tikal's great ruling dynasties was founded by conquerors from Teotihuacan in the 4th century AD. Following the end of the Late Classic Period, no new major monuments were built at Tikal and there is evidence that elite palaces were burned. These events were coupled with a gradual population decline, culminating with the site's abandonment by the end of the 10th century.
Tikal is the best understood of any of the large lowland Maya cities, with a long dynastic ruler list, the discovery of the tombs of many of the rulers on this list and the investigation of their monuments, temples and palaces.[6]
- ^ Martin & Grube 2000, p.47.
- ^ Tokovinine, Alexandre (2008). "Lords of Tikal: Narratives and Identities". Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology. Harvard University: 4.
- ^ "Tikal". Cyark. 2020. Retrieved 31 January 2021.
- ^ UNESCO World Heritage Center.
- ^ Sharer & Traxler 2006, p. 1. Hammond 2000, p. 233.
- ^ Adams 2000, p.34.