Ancient site · City
Tikal (early phase)
Also known as Yax Mutal, Mutal
A great Maya city in the rainforest of northern Guatemala, probably called Yax Mutal. Farmers lived here by about 1000 BCE, and major pyramids and platforms were going up by 400–300 BCE.
In 378 CE a war leader linked to distant Teotihuacan arrived and the king Chak Tok Ich'aak died the same day, after which a new dynasty ruled. Its tallest temples date from after 500 CE. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
- Dates
- first farmers c. 1000 BCE; major building from c. 400 BCE; abandoned c. 900 CE
- Still standing
- Yes
- UNESCO World Heritage
- Yes
- Location
- 17.22° N, 89.62° W
How we know
Tikal's kings recorded their names and dates in Maya hieroglyphs, readable from the 3rd century CE onward, alongside excavation.
Nearby sites
- San Bartolo c. 400 BCE – 400 CE (murals c. 100 BCE)
- El Mirador main city c. 600 BCE – 150 CE (later reoccupied)
- Kaminaljuyu c. 1500 BCE – 1200 CE (peak c. 400–100 BCE)
- Paso de la Amada c. 1800–1000 BCE
- La Venta c. 1200–400 BCE (main centre c. 900–400 BCE)
- San Lorenzo Tenochtitlán Olmec centre c. 1400–900 BCE
Related
- Preclassic Maya archaeological culture
- The world in 1000 BCE: Out of the Collapse chapter