Great Plaza of Tikal by junge1
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Description
Picture was taken from Temple II located on the west side of the Great Plaza, and shows Temple I at center, the North Acropolis at left, and the Central Acropolis at right. View is toward the East.
Temple I:
Temple I, the 'Temple of the Grand Jaguar' is a funerary pyramid dedicated to Jasaw Chan K'awil I aka Ah Cacao, who was entombed in the structure in 734 AD, the pyramid was completed around 740-750 AD. The temple is 47m (154-ft) high. The massive roof comb that topped the temple was originally decorated with a giant sculpture of the enthroned king, but little of this decoration survives. The tomb of the king was discovered by Aubrey Trik of the University of Pennsylvania in 1962. Among items recovered from the Late Classic tomb were a large collection of inscribed human and animal bone tubes and strips with sophisticated scenes depicting deities and people, finely carved and rubbed with vermilion, as well as jade and shell ornaments and ceramic vessels filled with offerings of food and drink. The shrine at the summit of the pyramid has three chambers, each behind the next, with the doorways spanned by wooden lintels fashioned from multiple beams. The outermost lintel is plain but the two inner lintels were carved.
Temple II:
Temple II, aka Temple of the Mask, is located at the west side of the Great Plaza. This picture was taken from the top of Temple II. It was built around 700 AD and is 38m (125-ft.) high. Like other major temples at Tikal, the summit shrine had three consecutive chambers with the doorways spanned by wooden lintels, only the middle of which was carved. The temple was dedicated to the wife of Jasaw Chan K'awil I, although no tomb was found. The queen's portrait was carved into the lintel spanning the doorway of the summit shrine.
North Acropolis:
The North Acropolis is of great significance. Archaeologist have uncovered about 100 different structures, the oldest of which dates before the time of Christ, with evidence of occupation as far back as 400 BC. The final version of the North Acropolis, as it stood around 800 AD, had more than 12 temples atop a vast platform, many of them the work of King Jasaw Chan K'awiil I aka Ah Cacao.
Central Acropolis:
The Central Acropolis, located on the south side of the Great Plaza, is a maze of courtyards, little rooms and small temples and is thought by many to have been a palace where Tikal's nobles lived. Others think the tiny rooms may have been used for sacred rites and ceremonies, as graffiti found within them suggests.
Sources of information: Guides lecture, Wikipedia, Lonely Planet 'Central America' 1994.
This is a tree-picture panorama and the photos were taken on 29 November 2010.
Thank you for viewing and commenting,
Sig...
Comments (33)
flora-crassella
großartige Bauwerke! SUPER Foto!!!!!
Dreamingbee
so fantastic ! faszinierende architektur
drifterlee
I would love to see those ruins!
junge1
I spent part of one day at this site. It is impossible to see and understand and digest all the information given in one day. To get to Tikal I hired a taxi (arranged through the hotel) which took me to San Ignacio (near the Guatemalan border). From there another taxi to the border. Once across the border, a mini bus took me to the outside of the park (and site) entrance, at which point an accredited tour guide took over and showed me the sites. A meal, border-crossing fees, two taxis, and mini-bus total cost $284 US.
jayfar
Great picture and great history.
moviehawke1
Really enjoying this series as it is a location I would love to visit .. thank you!
Faemike55
Well worth the money in my book! Excellent images and great and fascinating information
Richardphotos
very beautiful capture Sig
DananJaya_Chef
GinoBossoleti
Muy buen trabajo!! Feliz Navidad y un abrazo muy fuerte
jeroni
Beautiful composition. excellent work
sandra46
outstanding shot! a most imposing image!
MrsLubner
I don't know why, but this seems so familiar to me. As if I've been there. It is gorgeous and your capture fascinates me.
blinkings
What a fantastic post. It reminds me of scenery in a game series I'm pretty fond of. Serious Sam!
bazza
Lovely capture nice bit of history too.. thanks ;-)
virginiese
Excellent serie Sig ! I've been in Palenque, Chichen Itza ans Tulum and I recognize the same atmopshere in your picture !
bmac62
Striking!!! Glad you took the trouble to go...sounds like a marathon day.
auntietk
Wow. Spectacular pano! That must have been quite a day. So much to take in! Thanks for the photos ... this was worth every penny!
gaius
I'd like so much to get there. Thanks for sharing and for posting beautiful photos. Thanks for the tips too.
rainbows
Incredible history, a wonderful capture Sig. Hugs. Di. xx
farmerC
Exellent.
mariogiannecchini
Fantastic place and scene ! Very beutiful history !
junge1
The entire journey took almost 14 hours. We left before sunrise and came back at night. I had climbed two temples (they had hand rails and reasonable sized steps) and it was a workout for my hip. It was also interesting to see the activity at the border crossing into Guatemala. At this time there is a border disputes between the two countries, but so far tourism hasn't been affected yet.
smillinfaces
wooooooooooooooooooooooooooow thats a great place to be thank you for sharing smillinfaces
flavia49
Tikal is fantastic!! I love that place, and your picture!!
lyron
Fantastic picture!!!!
Hendesse
Fantastic shot and interesting informations.
kbrog
Awesome capture of it! :) Now where is my Indiana Jones hat? ;D
kgb224
Stunning find and capture my friend.
bimm3d
lovely place and wonderful photo!!