Places of Interest - Guatemala

Flores:

The oldest part of Flores is located on an pensinsula in Lake Petén Itzá which is connected to the mainland via a dike. The town was founded by the Itza Indians who were chased away from their "old" site at Chichen Itza in Mexico. Then the city was still called Tayasal. It is certain that the Indians living in and around the lake knew about the big "Tikal"; it is even probable that they regularly made the trip to offer sacrifices and pray there. The island was the last Maya state that remained independent during the conquest by the Spaniards. Hernán Cortés on his way to Honduras, passed the lake in 1541 but made no attempt to conquer the city. The Spaniards only came back in 1697 when they took the city and destroyed all temples, pyramids and images. For that reason there are no remains of the original inhabitants but it is certain that the old city is built on top of the new one and you are on "holy" Maya grounds. If you are interested in items found here you can go to the "Museo Santa Barbara" located on a small island west of Flores.

Tikal:

We now know that Tikal was known to the Spaniards who colonized the country, but it was not until 1848 that the city was "officially" rediscovered by archaeologists from Guatemala. The entire "Parque National Tikal" contains thousands of Mayan Ruins over its entire surface of some 550km2. The central part - declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1979 - is about 16km in size and has around 4000 objects. 

The main building of the Tikal complex is the pyramid of the "Great Jaguar" or "Temple I" built around the main square ("Gran Plaza"). This is built in the Petén style which is characterized by a steep cascading base with a smaller temple on top. The temple was built in the classical period around the year 730 AD. The tomb of this ruler was localized by archaeologists in the temple, although it is unclear whether the temple was built for this purpose or that it was a later adaptation. The temple is about 44 meters high and divided over nine levels. At the foot, the temple measures only 30 by 34 meters. The main room is dedicated to Kukulcan, an important Maya God. The temple is characterized by a striking roof, a typical feature of the Mayan architecture. Climbing on this temple is forbidden but you can view it well from Temple II which is located opposite the temple of the "Great Jaguar". "Acropolis del Norte" where relics are found from the year 600 BC is not far. 

About the place we call "Acropolis Central" are different scenarios possible; whether this was the place where the nobility lived or the place were ceremonies and sacrifices were made for the Gods. There are a number of small temples with courtyards and small rooms. Temple V is 58 meters high and was built between the 7th and 8th century. From the top you have a beautiful view over the entire central part of Tikal. The "lost world" (El Mundo Perdido) is a complex with no less than 38 objects - in the middle is a large pyramid with a large stone staircase on both sides. Built in the 7th century BC this is the oldest structure of Tikal. At complex "N" (in the extreme west of the complex) is one of the most beautiful tombs of Tikal while Temple IV is the literally highest with 65 meters height. Other buildings include the temple of "Inscriptions" (Temple VI), the northern complex and square of the seven temples.

The archaeological site "Tikal" was founded by the Maya Indians around the 7th century BC. The hill provided a good strategic location and the present flint (fire-stone) for making weapons and later religious images. At the beginning of the Classic period (about 250 BC) Tikal (then "Yax Mutal") was already a very important cultural, religious but also commercial site with numerous temples. In the 4th century, the king adopted attack methods that involved encircling the enemy in order to kill them at a distance with spears. The empire expanded over the entire region and became the dominant tribe. In 562 the city was nevertheless subjected to Caracol, who had taken over the same (war) strategy from his enemy Tikal. A period of more than a hundred years occured that is known as the "Tikalhiaat". Hardly any inscriptions or monuments are known from this "occupation period". This period ended in 682 when the powerful "Jasaw Chan K'awiil I" came to power. He made Tikal an unprecedented power center. Tikal's power reached its peak when in 711 it got its eternal rival Calakmul on its knees. His descendants would be responsible for the large temples that we see on the site today. However, the ongoing war between the two warring factions and their allies had led to a depletion of raw materials and neglect of the ground, so that after eight hundred the Mayan civilization collapsed. The last inscription in Tikal, a reference to Jasaw Chan K'awiil II, dates from 889.