2013 Guatemala Trip Day Six - Tikal

Out of all of the sites I saw in Guatemala, by far the one that was most memorable was the trip to Tikal.  The morning was off to an interesting start when I was led past one airplane and toward the smallest commercial plane I’d ever seen.  The seats on it looked like something off a US school bus and nothing about it screamed safety, so I was really happy to have an engaging Spanish-speaking passenger sharing my “bench” as keeping up with a Spanish-language conversation kept my mind occupied.

The tour bus picked people up from a hotel near the park, which provided gorgeous views of a lake and then we were off to the ruins!  The bus was largely Spanish-speaking, so the guide provided a lot of information in Spanish.  Most of it was repeated in English, but understanding a lot of Spanish was helpful.  Once we reached Tikal, the English-speaking group separated off, which was nice as there were only 6 of us.  During our walk through the jungle, we heard animals, but I only caught a quick glimpse of a monkey.  We did see plenty of leafcutter ants, which are fascinating as they’re the only animal that grows their own food besides humans.

We were able to climb one of the uncovered ruins, but we also saw some of the mounds covering ruins that haven’t been excavated yet – hard to believe they were ALL covered at first.

(Covered)

(Uncovered)













It was fascinating to see all of the different structures that were built.  This central area wasn’t where farmers would have lived, but more likely where the administrators and wealthy individuals would have been.  There were buildings that people would have lived in, including niches where people slept near windows for cool, fresh air.

We were also able to see how the Mayans had built layer over layer over layer in the construction of their buildings.  And then we saw one of the main temple buildings in the distance.  I will note that this was about the time that the heat led to me taking my jacket off, which was when the mosquitoes REALLY decended despite 100% DEET.  My experience with that in a malarial area was enough to convince me that anti-malarials really are a good idea no matter how many precautions I plan to take.  It's such a serious disease that it simply isn't worth the risk if mosquitoes love you (they LOVE me)!

One of the largest ruins has a separate set of stairs so you can climb switchbacks to the top, but this is not an adventure for the faint of heart or those in poor health!  It was extremely humid and warm, even on an overcast day, and very strenuous; however, if you can manage it, the view was incredible.  The Mayans had built this structure above the jungle canopy!  And from the top, which was on the small side for the number of people up there (especially if you have any fear of heights, which I do!) you could see the temples facing each other at the ceremonial center in the distance.

Toward the end of our tour, we came upon the ceremonial center - yes, you WALK that far.  As luck would have it, we were there on a day when modern Mayans were performing a ceremony.  It was a fascinating place to look around and try to picture what it would have looked like at its peak.  Many of the structures were still standing and one of the main temples was being restored at the time; however, they were in surprisingly good condition given how old they are.  

It was really an amazing glimpse into the life style, from ball courts to remaining irrigation structures.  Tikal is rare for an ancient city because it was not built near a source of fresh water, but rather the Mayans built an elaborate system to capture and store rain water instead.

If you’re ever in Guatemala, it’s well worth the expense to take a trip to Tikal!