TIKAL NATIONAL PARK

Tikal Park or officially Tikal National Park ruins in Guatemala are probably the best restored examples of classical Mayan style.  Guatemala has the largest Maya population of any country, and in terms of numbers, they are the dominant ethnic group. There are at least 15 distinct Mayan groups in the country, mostly living in the highlands. After years of civil unrest and violence, in December of 1996 the leaders in signed a pact with the Guatemalan government guaranteeing land and  political rights, and freedom to practice their traditional religion. Mayan people produce beautiful textiles, pottery and baskets. Also see: www.lacasadedondavid.com/themaya.html

The most well known, Tikal ruins are located in the middle of the Tikal National Park. Also Tikal park is a great wildlife preserve covering 25 square miles and the first such park in Central America. This original Mayan city has been reclaimed by the jungle and even today it is with only a good deal of diligence that the restored ruins are not overgrown with trees and jungle vegetation.  The grounds are lush with tropical  plants and wildlife. Trees include zapotes, from which chicle, a base for chewing gum is derived, Spanish cedar, ceiba, a tree sacred to the Maya, mahogany and over 25 other precious hard woods. There are troops of spider and howler monkeys, 285 species of birds, 209 of which are resident species: including hawks, toucans, hummingbirds, parrots, king vultures, and ocilated turkeys. Outside of the ruins area live jaguar, puma, ocelot, pecarry, small deer, and many other animals, many rare and endangered.

Tikal was one of the principal cities of the Maya civilization. At least 10,000 people lived within the mapped portion of the city, which encompasses six square miles and more than 50,000 people in the surrounding areas. The maps reveals over 3000  separate structures including temples, palaces, shrines, ceremonial platforms, residences, ball courts, terraces, causeways, and plazas, most interconnected with aqueducts and cisterns for holding water. In the main ceremonial precincts there are 200 stone monuments, known as stele. Stelae were elaborately carved with glyphs, a form of writing, and other images that tell stories about the current and past rulers of that time.  Come visit our bed and breakfast, stay in our guest house or bungalows and see what a great vacation can be. The Tikal Ruins are the most spectacular of the Ruta Maya and the entrance to Tikal National Park is only 15 minutes from the hotel.  A bus stops at the HOTEL entrance at 5:30 am and it will take you to the park entrance by 6:00 am (opening time) to catch the early morning mist rising from the pyramids. Sunrise is a special experience from the top of one of the temples. Tikal is the most magnificent and the largest set of partial restored ruins in Guatemala. Tikal is the most important on the Ruta Maya and clearly the most significant for seeing jungle and wildlife.

Tikal ruins were officially discovered in 1848 and minor excavations commenced in 1877.  Restoration began in the 1950s by University of Pennsylvania, and today, extensive excavations make it possible for guests to imagine what it was like back during its zenith, 550AD to 900AD. The park covers 25 square miles and most of it includes ruins with over 10,000 estimated structures. Less than a dozen or so have been reconstructed or excavated to any marked degree.  Plan on just hitting the high spots if you are only there for the day. You could easily spend two days to a week or more and not see every ruin that has been escavated.  Plan to walk a good deal and try to climb at least one or more of the temples. The view from the top is great.  For more information http://www.famsi.org/research/tikal/index.html

Birding and wild life in the area is great. It is a  bird watching paradise. (see list birds) Very often you see monkeys, toucans, vultures, hawks, owls, coutimundis and others on your walks through the jungle trails. The tranquil feeling of seeing the jungle from the top of temple #4 at 212 feet up gives great satisfaction and reminds one of the importance of protecting the rainforest forever, as well as getting some clue as to why they were built in the first place. In some of the dwellings there is also a sense of airconditioning as the structure some how seems to capture or creates natural breezes that really help offset the heat and high humidity. On certain temples you can see the temples of other major ruins towering from the giant trees of the rainforest. Your travel to Tikal will be one of the most impressive parts of of your visits to Latinamerica.Also see Tikal Travel Guide