Flores – Day 2: The Ruins of Tikal
FLORES
Day 2: The Ruins of Tikal
October 01, 2022
Admittedly, Belize left me a bit dry when it comes to Mayan ruins. Sure, there were Xunantunich and Cahal Pech, the ATM cave and the Marco Gonzales Archaeological Reserve (if one can actually count that) but these only made up three days of excursions in three weeks. That’s it! Back in Mexico, visiting ruins was almost a daily event. And finally – finally – I was in Flores. And you know what Flores is famous for? Yep, the ruins of Tikal!
Accompanied by Joaquin, my guide for the day, I set off early in the morning to explore the ruins of the grand city along with a bunch of other tourists. The journey there felt more like a wildlife expedition through the jungle, as we stopped plenty of times to admire the fauna we came across. Like the slaty-tailed trogon (a beautiful green and red bird related to the legendary quetzal), the snail kite (a hawk-like bird that soared gracefully above our heads), the orange-breasted falcon (a gorgeous black, white and orange-plumed beast), and the brown-hooded parrot (a tiny multicoloured cutie with a grey-brown head). We also stopped to observe a giant anteater lying unmoving on a tree branch, and made multiple other stops to let coatis cross the road.
Once at the site, we couldn’t help but marvel at the hundreds of spider monkeys and howler monkeys leaping from one tree to another above our heads. As excited as I was to see my first howler monkey ever, it took me about a hot damn minute to start cursing their existence – their relentless crying and moaning quickly getting on my nerves.
Did you know their roars were used to create dinosaur sounds in the Jurassic Park movies? Imagine being surrounded by dozens of them, screeching their lungs out at any point in time! And I’m not even gonna mention those horseflies… Bastards!
The Ruins of Tikal
The city of Tikal, once one of the most important centres in the Mundo Maya, dates back to around 1000 BC and reached its height of power during the Classic period. Different sources claim it was either abandoned due to famine and climate change or after being conquered by Teotihuacan in the Late Classic period. Recent evidence suggests a core population between 50,000 and 100,000 people. The city’s influence extended throughout most of the Mayan Lowlands, and it maintained relationships with other major cities like Teotihuacan and Caracol.
The name given to it by the Conquistadors means “City of Voices,” with the original name being Yux Mutul. To this day, the site still boasts a large number of spectacular temples and constructions used for both civic and ceremonial purposes. The city is oriented to the cardinal points, with those on the east and west used for astronomy, and those in the north and south for religious rituals. While the site core covers around sixteen square kilometres, the residential area extends over about sixty square kilometres, which is in turn surrounded by roughly 576 square kilometres of dense tropical jungle.
We started off to the northeast of the Grand Plaza on a trail marked by a one-hundred-year-old ceiba tree. At Complex Q, we climbed over a five-tiered platform that offered a view of the courtyard with eight stelae placed right in front of it. Then we made our way north to the North Enclosure, located within the same complex — an open-air structure with a triangular entryway referencing the shape of Orion’s Belt. It houses a stela and an accompanying altar at the centre, portraying the ruler Yax Nuun Ayiin II marking the end of the 20-year Katun.
An Overgrown City
After this, we headed westward, taking note of the three pyramids that make up Complex R, which are still mostly unexcavated and buried under mounds of dirt, overgrown trees, and roots. Then we walked straight to the Temple of the Two-Headed Serpent — a massive seventy-metre-tall pyramid consisting of seven tiers, built atop a huge platform that makes it stand out as the tallest structure in the entire site and the second tallest in all of Mesoamerica. This, Joaquin told us, was probably built as a funerary monument for one of the rulers of Tikal.
We climbed a huge staircase that left most of us out of breath by the end, leading us to the fifth tier. From here, we had a panoramic view of the thick, exuberant jungle – the canopy broken only by the summits of three other pyramids jutting out in the distance.
From there, we made our way southward, climbing over yet another pyramid – that of Temple V – where we got to spend a few minutes admiring the stupendous views of the once-thriving city that was now enshrouded in trees and mystery alike.
Then, it was finally time for the pièce de résistance as we started nearing the site core. We climbed Temple II from the backside and, as we turned the corner at the top, we were met with a fantastic vista unlike any other – the Grand Plaza, in all its glory.
After spending an appreciable amount of time fawning over the view, we made our way down and, as we stood in the centre of the plaza, accompanied by a few hundred coatis, Joaquin went on with his explanation. Standing right in front of us was Tikal’s main attraction: the imposing 47-metre Temple of the Great Jaguar. The nine-tiered structure, facing east in reference to the sunrise, was discovered in 1960. Around seven metres underneath the impressive building was found the tomb of Lord Chocolate (yep, that’s his actual title) and, together with his remains, were jaguar pelts, jade, shells, and carved bones featuring a canoe – a reference to the Popol Vuh and its tale of the jaguar and the sun. At the top of the highest tier is a room containing three chambers, with a combed roof surmounting it. Truly a spectacular work of art!
After some time spent revering the incredible temple and examining it from every possible angle, we made our way around the plaza, admiring more stelae and the ballcourt. Here, Joaquin told us, no evidence of human sacrifice was ever found, with pelote being played for recreational and ceremonial purposes. Afterwards, we headed towards the Acropolis flanking the southern side of the plaza, roaming around a series of corridors and staircases that once connected the residential areas of the elites.
As we started on our way back, I couldn’t help but marvel, once again, at how incredible the Mayan civilisation was – and how unfair it feels that we’ll never truly get to experience it. I guess the best we can hope for is just that – a glimpse into their world.