We learned quite a bit on our Tikal tour, so time for a history lesson. Don't worry, it'll be fun. And short.
Tikal was inhabited by Mayans from about 600 BC to 900 AD. Around 900 AD, the city was seemingly suddenly abandoned. The period of time is referred to as the mysterious downfall of Mayan culture. Many other Mayan ruins in Mexico and other parts of Central America indicate downfall around the same time. One theory is a loss of natural resources. The Mayans frequently ate snails, whose shells are now studied to examine the availability of water and other resources at the time. A study of the snail shells can show what water levels were like at the time. Studies of these shells around Tikal demonstrate a drought the last tens of years before the downfall. Without water, there was no food. Without food, no civilization to thrive.
It is a huge city, with greater than 3,000 ruins. The 5-hour tour we took was barely enough just to cover part of it. There are roads and a city center with pyramids. Kings and other royalty were buried in the pyramids, and the Mayands frequently held ceremonies and rituals in and around the pyramids. As you walk around, you notice huge hills of trees and grass, which just blend in to the surrounding rainforest. However, the land here is actually flat. Any elevated land indicates a pyramid or ruin structure not yet excavated. Researchers around Tikal are working on excavations, but the plans are purposefully limited. The ruins are made of limestone which isn't durable over the years. It is better for the ruins if they remain sheltered by the grass and trees.
I'm a bit lazy to write about our experiences, so here's more of a photo journal..
After our tour, we spent the evening hanging out at our hotel and just relaxing. We woke up early the following morning to howling monkeys. The guide the previous day told us these are the loudest land animals on the planet, and they like to hang out around the lodge. After hearing them at 5am that morning, I wholehartedly believe he was telling the truth. I wasn't awake enough to take a video myself, but here's a YouTube video. Such small bodies, yet such big sound.
Some photos from our morning hike through Tikal. We also encountered more beautiful birds including a huge flock of turkeys and woodpeckers. We climbed again to the top of Templo IV, and had breakfast to the sounds of the rainforest, howler monkeys, and the sights of more lovely birds. It was amazing.
After Tikal, we spent some time in Flores, which is a island city nearby. Nilit is planning to post some more pictures and stories of all that so stay tuned!
As far as Maya Pedal and our work here, things are going well. We are adjusting well to Guatemala, enjoying our time, and meeting more people as we go. The tortilla lady knows us, and so does the local panaderia (bakery). A few new volunteers have joined us at Maya Pedal, so we're a full house of 7 people and 3 small rooms. It works out well, and we all seem to enjoy each other's company. We cook fantastic meals and have a lot of fun. Work around the shop still consists of fixing up some old bikes and bicycle machines. All of us volunteers have lately also been joining some of the guys from the shop in the evenings to play soccer at the local court. Since we work and live in the dusty shop, it gives us a great reason to enjoy some time with our new friends and get some exercise. Speaking of which, this weekend we're also headed to a volcano called Acatenango, which apparently peaks around 13,000 ft. I am looking forward to the work out and fresh air!
Well, that's all for now..Hope you enjoyed the pictures, and adios til next time!
Tikal was inhabited by Mayans from about 600 BC to 900 AD. Around 900 AD, the city was seemingly suddenly abandoned. The period of time is referred to as the mysterious downfall of Mayan culture. Many other Mayan ruins in Mexico and other parts of Central America indicate downfall around the same time. One theory is a loss of natural resources. The Mayans frequently ate snails, whose shells are now studied to examine the availability of water and other resources at the time. A study of the snail shells can show what water levels were like at the time. Studies of these shells around Tikal demonstrate a drought the last tens of years before the downfall. Without water, there was no food. Without food, no civilization to thrive.
It is a huge city, with greater than 3,000 ruins. The 5-hour tour we took was barely enough just to cover part of it. There are roads and a city center with pyramids. Kings and other royalty were buried in the pyramids, and the Mayands frequently held ceremonies and rituals in and around the pyramids. As you walk around, you notice huge hills of trees and grass, which just blend in to the surrounding rainforest. However, the land here is actually flat. Any elevated land indicates a pyramid or ruin structure not yet excavated. Researchers around Tikal are working on excavations, but the plans are purposefully limited. The ruins are made of limestone which isn't durable over the years. It is better for the ruins if they remain sheltered by the grass and trees.
I'm a bit lazy to write about our experiences, so here's more of a photo journal..
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| A tree that aspires to grow high above the rest of the rainforest.. |
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| And it grows orchids on top! So pretty. |
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| A pyramid that has not been excavated..Looks like a tiny hill if you were just hiking through. |
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| The ruins were built by the Mayans and then re-built when the limestone
wore down. Researchers have found many layers of certain ruins - you can
see the layers on this one pretty well. |
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| The grand plaza. You can see little people down there to give you a sense of scale.. |
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| Beautiful wildlife in the rainforests of Tikal. Here's a gorgeous turkey we spotted on the grand plaza. |
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| The tallest of these pyramids hidden in the rainforest is Templo IV. It stands at 230 ft, and you're able to cilmb to the top. |
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| The top of Templo IV. From here, we heard howler monkeys and saw all sorts of birds including a toucan (named him Sam of course). |
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| An image of a toucan similar to the one we spotted. Not our photo though! No zoom lens to capture the amazing-ness. |
After our tour, we spent the evening hanging out at our hotel and just relaxing. We woke up early the following morning to howling monkeys. The guide the previous day told us these are the loudest land animals on the planet, and they like to hang out around the lodge. After hearing them at 5am that morning, I wholehartedly believe he was telling the truth. I wasn't awake enough to take a video myself, but here's a YouTube video. Such small bodies, yet such big sound.
Some photos from our morning hike through Tikal. We also encountered more beautiful birds including a huge flock of turkeys and woodpeckers. We climbed again to the top of Templo IV, and had breakfast to the sounds of the rainforest, howler monkeys, and the sights of more lovely birds. It was amazing.
After Tikal, we spent some time in Flores, which is a island city nearby. Nilit is planning to post some more pictures and stories of all that so stay tuned!
As far as Maya Pedal and our work here, things are going well. We are adjusting well to Guatemala, enjoying our time, and meeting more people as we go. The tortilla lady knows us, and so does the local panaderia (bakery). A few new volunteers have joined us at Maya Pedal, so we're a full house of 7 people and 3 small rooms. It works out well, and we all seem to enjoy each other's company. We cook fantastic meals and have a lot of fun. Work around the shop still consists of fixing up some old bikes and bicycle machines. All of us volunteers have lately also been joining some of the guys from the shop in the evenings to play soccer at the local court. Since we work and live in the dusty shop, it gives us a great reason to enjoy some time with our new friends and get some exercise. Speaking of which, this weekend we're also headed to a volcano called Acatenango, which apparently peaks around 13,000 ft. I am looking forward to the work out and fresh air!
Well, that's all for now..Hope you enjoyed the pictures, and adios til next time!
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