Tikal: An Ancient Maya City

Located deep in the Guatemalan rainforest and spread over nearly 500 square kilometers, Tikal is an impressive sight to see.  It used to be one of the main Maya city states, with a population of over 100,000.  Today, only a small portion has been excavated with the majority of the complex still consisting of green, tree-covered mounds.  It is by far the most impressive Maya site I have seen so far and seemed a bit reminiscent of Angkor Wat in Cambodia, simply based on its size and the fact that it’s spread out throughout the jungle.  However, Maya construction stops a long way short of what the Cambodian did in Angkor Wat.

Our shuttle picked us up at 4:30am so that we would be at the gate to the complex as it opened at 6:00am. That early in the morning not only is the complex not filled with endless busloads of packaged tourists, but the temperature is also more bearable and the light much better.  We started out tagging along with a guide, learning some basics about the site.  However, after a short while we split off, preferring to explore the ruins at our own pace and in a different order thereby avoiding the smaller crowds (plus we didn’t have the guided tour purchased).

The Grand Plaza was impressive!  Most of the squares in Tikal consist of twin Temples built opposite one another and often flanked by an acropolis.  The Grand Plaza was no exception and the steep steps of Temple I and Temple II were quite the sight.  Ever since the last few people killed themselves climbing Temple I and since the top got struck by lightning and thereby damaged, climbing that temple has been prohibited.  Climbing up the original stone steps of the Acropolis was challenging enough.  There is absolutely no way that I would have wanted to climb the insanely steep and dangerous steps of either one of these temples.  However, they built a (steep) wooden staircase next to Temple II and you can climb to the top of it and admire the views. 

From the Grand Plaza we wandered over to Temple V, where the staircase was virtually vertical.  It may have been easier for them to simply place a ladder next to the temple. From there it was off to the Lost World and Temple IV.  Temple IV is their tallest temple, but unlike the others, only the upper portion of it is excavated.  The rest is still covered in green foliage and therefore doesn’t present such an impressive sight when viewed from afar.

To draw a comparison again between Tikal and Angkor Wat, we started walking around Tikal at 6:30 or 7:00am and were done by about noon.  In Angkor Wat I spent 3 full days, from sunrise to sunset and could have easily spent double that.  Nevertheless we were impressed by Tikal and as I have already mentioned, it is the best Maya site I have been to so far.

From Tikal it was back to Flores where we were going to spend the afternoon swimming in the lake, and exploring the cobblestoned streets of this tiny island-based town.  However, Isabella got sick just after lunch and although I did take a few minutes to wander around, most of the afternoon and evening was spent worrying and caring for her.  There is in fact not much to Flores.  It is probably about 200m across the island in any direction.  It is connected to the mainland by a 700m causeway and the main city (Santa Elena) is located there.  But because of its setting, it has a fantastic atmosphere to it.  Restaurants abound in the street by the water, locals and gringos alike jump into the lake from the various docks, and little boats ferry people to other towns located along the lakeside.  Had it not been for my sister’s sickness, we would have spent a very pleasant afternoon here.