Tikal
One of the greatest Classic Maya cities, whose last dated monument in 869 CE marks the collapse of the southern lowland cities.
- Location
- Petén, northern Guatemala
- Modern country
- Guatemala
- Type
- Maya city; ruins in national park
- Occupied
- 6th century BCE to 10th century CE
- Dated monuments
- 292–869 CE
- Status
- UNESCO World Heritage Site (1979)
What is Tikal known for?
Tikal is one of the largest and best-studied cities of the ancient Maya, in the rainforest of Petén in northern Guatemala. It was occupied from about the 6th century BCE to the 10th century CE. Its temple-pyramids, palaces and plazas sit in a national park created in 1955 and listed by UNESCO in 1979 for both cultural and natural value.
Tikal's carved monuments record a dynasty of kings over more than a thousand years, with dates running from 292 to 869 CE. After that, building and carving stopped, and the population drained away over the following century.
Tikal's decline is part of the wider Classic Maya collapse, when many southern lowland cities emptied between about 800 and 950 CE. Mainstream explanations combine long droughts, warfare between cities, overpopulation and political breakdown. Nothing in the evidence points to a single sudden catastrophe.
Tikal is the site's example of the great southern Maya cities that stopped building and emptied out around 800–950 CE.
Sources
- UNESCO World Heritage Centre, 'Tikal National Park'Reference
- Wikipedia, 'Tikal'Reference
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