Of the city-states that dominated much of Central America in the first millennium AD, Tikal was perhaps the greatest. Paul Bloomfield explores the pyramids and stone reliefs of Guatemala’s most impressive Maya monument <\/p>

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Grand central<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n
Around AD 734, the monumental pyramid now designated Temple I was erected at Tikal to honour and protect the burial of Jasaw Chan K\u2019awiil I (Moon Double Comb, also known as Ah Cacau \u2013 Lord Chocolate), the Mayan city\u2019s ruler from AD 682. The pyramid soars to 45 metres high and is topped with a roof comb comprising three small rooms. It stands sentinel over the Grand Plaza, epicentre of possibly the greatest city-state of Central America \u2013 Tikal. Settled from around 600 BC, by the peak of the Maya Classic Period (c250\u2013900 AD) Tikal sprawled over 30 sq km and was home to more than 50,000 people. Yet the city \u2013 and the civilisation of the lowland Maya as a whole \u2013 mysteriously collapsed just a century after Temple I was built.<\/p>\n
Read more | Your guide to ancient Maya: from the writing system to the truth about \u2018human sacrifice\u2019<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>
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Stone story<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n
The limestone monolith known as Stela 31, carved in AD 445 and now displayed in the Tikal Museum, isn\u2019t just an artistic masterpiece \u2013 it\u2019s also a crucial historic document. The front depicts Sihyaj Chan K\u2019awiil II (Stormy Sky), a powerful warrior king \u2013 the Maya civilisation<\/a> wasn\u2019t a single peaceful society, but a series of often warring city-states . More important still is the text on the reverse, detailing the early history of Tikal from the foundation of its royal dynasty by Yax Moch Xoc around AD 230.<\/p>\n
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Body language<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n
The writing of the Maya consisted of glyphs (symbols) such as this one on a stela (inscribed column) at Tikal, which was called Mutul by its original inhabitants. The system uses logograms to indicate whole words as well as syllabic glyphs. Knowledge of the script was lost by the end of the 16th century after the Spanish conquest of Central America, and it has still not been completely deciphered after more than a century of study. Today perhaps 90% of Mayan texts can be translated.<\/p>\n
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