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Tikal (; Tik'al in modern Mayan orthography) is the ruin of an ancient city, which was likely to have been called Yax Mutal, found in a rainforest in Guatemala.

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 the Petén Department in northern Guatemala. The site is part of Guatemala's Tikal National Park, which was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1979. Tikal was the capital of a 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 4th century BC, Tikal reached its apogee during the Classic Period, c. 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 Teotihuacan in the distant Valley of Mexico. There is evidence that one of Tikal's great ruling dynasties was founded by conquerors from Teotihuacan in the 4th century AD. 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. 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. Tikal National Park was established in 1955, protecting the site and 570 square kilometers (220 sq mi) of surrounding tropical forests, savannas, and wetlands within the Maya Biosphere Reserve.

Tikal may have come to have been called this because Dos Pilas also came to use the same emblem glyph; the rulers of the city presumably wanted to distinguish themselves as the first city to bear the name.

Tikal is approximately 303 kilometers (188 mi) north of Guatemala City. The city was located 100 kilometers (62 mi) southeast of its great Classic Period rival, Calakmul, and 85 kilometers (53 mi) northwest of Calakmul's ally Caracol, now in Belize. The area around Tikal has been declared as the Tikal National Park and the preserved area covers 570 square kilometers (220 sq mi). Archaeologists working in Tikal during the 20th century refurbished one of these ancient reservoirs to store water for their own use.

At the beginning of the Early Classic, power in the Maya region was concentrated at Tikal and Calakmul, in the core of the Maya heartland. In the Early Classic Tikal rapidly developed into the most dynamic city in the Maya region, stimulating the development of other nearby Maya cities. The earlier part of the Early Classic saw hostilities between Tikal and its neighbor Uaxactun, with Uaxactun recording the capture of prisoners from Tikal.

The early 6th century saw another queen ruling the city, known only as the "Lady of Tikal", who was very likely a daughter of Chak Tok Ichʼaak II.

The "Tikal hiatus" refers to a period between the late 6th to late 7th century where there was a lapse in the writing of inscriptions and large-scale construction at Tikal. It seems that Caracol was an ally of Calakmul in the wider conflict between that city and Tikal, with the defeat of Tikal having a lasting impact upon the city.

The first two rulers of Dos Pilas continued to use the Mutal emblem glyph of Tikal, and they probably felt that they had a legitimate claim to the throne of Tikal itself.

The Tikal Project recorded over 200 monuments at the site.

Group Q is a twin-pyramid complex, and is one of the largest at Tikal.

Temple III (also known as the Temple of the Jaguar Priest) was the last of the great pyramids to be built at Tikal.

Quick Facts

• 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.
• Though monumental architecture at the site dates back as far as the 4th century BC, Tikal reached its apogee during the Classic Period, c.
• The area around Tikal has been declared as the Tikal National Park and the preserved area covers 570 square kilometers (220 sq mi).
• 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.
• Tikal National Park was established in 1955, protecting the site and 570 square kilometers (220 sq mi) of surrounding tropical forests, savannas, and wetlands within the Maya Biosphere Reserve.

Source material: Wikipedia - "Tikal". Adapted and summarized for DiscoverScroll. Original contributors are credited through the linked Wikipedia article. Read original on Wikipedia. CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes were made from the original.