🏛️ Tikal

About This Sacred Site

Tikal is one of the largest and most important archaeological sites of the ancient Maya civilization, located in the dense rainforest of northern Guatemala's Petén region. At its height (c. 200–900 CE), Tikal was home to over 100,000 people and served as a major political, economic, and ceremonial center. Its six massive step-pyramids — Temple I (Temple of the Great Jaguar) rises 47 meters — were sacred structures connected to the Maya cosmos, astronomy, and the divine authority of kings.

Key Facts

• •At its peak (c. 700 CE), Tikal had over 100,000 residents and 3,000 structures
• •Temple I (Temple of the Great Jaguar) stands 47 meters tall and was a royal funerary pyramid
• •The Grand Plaza was the ceremonial heart of the city for over a millennium
• •Inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1979 — one of the first mixed cultural/natural sites
• •The temples project above the 40-meter jungle canopy, creating an iconic skyline

Location

Coordinates: 17.2220, -89.6237