Tikal

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Tikal is a magnificent Maya site. It holds remnants of the Maya culture, one of the many Ancient Civilizations that I saw during my travels.

From the Tikal entry in Wikipedia:

Tikal is the ruin of an ancient city, which was likely to have been called Yax Mutal, found in a rainforest in Guatemala. It is one of the largest archaeological sites and urban centers of the pre-Columbian Maya civilization. It is located in the archaeological region of the Petén Basin in what is now northern Guatemala. Situated in the department of El Petén, the site is part of Guatemala's Tikal National Park and in 1979 it was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Tikal was the capital of a conquest state that became one of the most powerful kingdoms of the ancient Maya. Though monumental architecture at the site dates back as far as the 4^th century BCE, Tikal reached its apogee during the Classic Period, c. 200 CE to 900 CE. During this time, the city dominated much of the Maya region politically, economically, and militarily, while interacting with areas throughout Mesoamerica such as the great metropolis of Teotihuacán in the distant Valley of México. There is evidence that Tikal was conquered by Teotihuacán in the 4^th century CE. Following the end of the Late Classic Period, no new major monuments were built at Tikal and there is evidence that elite palaces were burned. These events were coupled with a gradual population decline, culminating with the site's abandonment by the end of the 10^th century.

Tikal is the best understood of any of the large lowland Maya cities, with a long dynastic ruler list, the discovery of the tombs of many of the rulers on this list and the investigation of their monuments, temples and palaces.

Rulers of Tikal

Name (or nickname)		Ruled	Dynastic succession no.	Alternative names
Yax Ehb' Xook		c. 90	1	Yax Moch Xok, Yax Chakte'l Xok, First Scaffold Shark
Foliated Jaguar		c. 292	?	–
Animal Headdress		?	10?	Kinich Ehb'?
Sihyaj Chan K'awiil I		c. 307	11	–
Unen Bahlam		c. 317	12?	–
K'inich Muwaan Jol I		? –359	13	Mahk'ina Bird Skull, Feather Skull
Chak Tok Ich'aak I		360–378	14	Jaguar Paw, Great Paw, Great Jaguar Paw
Yax Nuun Ayiin I		379 –404?	15	Curl Snout, Curl Nose
Sihyaj Chan K'awiil II		411–456	16	Stormy Sky, Manikin Cleft Sky
K'an Chitam		458–c. 486	17	Kan Boar, K'an Ak
Chak Tok Ich'aak II		c. 486–508	18	Jaguar Paw II, Jaguar Paw Skull
Lady of Tikal	Kaloomte' B'alam	c. 511–527+	19	Curl Head
Lady of Tikal	Bird Claw	?	20?	Animal Skull I
Wak Chan K'awiil		537?–562	21	Double Bird
Animal Skull		c. 593–628	22	–
K'inich Muwaan Jol II		c. 628–650	23 or 24	–
Nuun Ujol Chaak		c. 650–679	25	Shield Skull, Nun Bak Chak
Jasaw Chan K'awiil I		682–734	26	Ruler A, Ah Cacao
Yik'in Chan K'awiil		734–c. 766	27	Ruler B, Yaxkin Caan Chac, Sun Sky Rain
Ruler 28		c. 766–768	28	–
Yax Nuun Ayiin II		768–c. 794	29	–
Nuun Ujol K'inich		c. 800?	30?	–
Dark Sun		–810+	31?	–
Jewel K'awiil		–849+	?	–
Jasaw Chan K'awiil II		–869+	?	–