TIKAL

The MAYAN ruins of Tikal is a must see while traveling through or living in Guatemala.  We were invited to visit the ruins on Friday, January 16th with the Roberts family who serve as a Counselor to the Temple Presidency.  They had children visiting and invited others to join in on this excursion with them.  It was a perfect day for a trip.  The Burbidges traveled with us as well as the Wilcox family and Hermana Guzman from the temple.  We met together outside the temple apartment at 4:45pm and returned home after 9pm.  It was about an hour flight to Peten where we were greeted by our tour buses and guides to escort us to Tikal.  We were blessed with beautiful tropical weather...humid but not so much that it was uncomfortable. 

The Ceiba tree and so many other beautiful trees and vines make up this National Forest.

   We walked along the paths for hours observing wildlife and other ruins of another civilization.  We were able to see families of black monkeys swinging from tree to tree, ,howler monkeys,  parrots, a beautiful bird that is a cousin to the Quetzal but not a quetzal, crocodiles and a long tail coati. The jacquar also lives in this forest but we were not privie to see his face...although I was watching for him as I followed the trails of our tour guide.

Lopez was his name and he was a fluent English speaker and knew his history of the Mayan culture. 

Bob and the younger generation made it to the tops of all the pyramids and temples.

This is taken on top of Temple 11.  It is known by the name of Temple of the Masks or Faces.  It is 125 feet high and has a constructed stairway built to the top with railing so I was able to climb to the top.  It was built around 700AD in honor of the wife of the ruler AH CACAO.  The temple behind us is Temple 1 and is known as the Great Jaguar Temple.  It is the landmark of Guatemala to the world.  In between the two temples is the Gran Plaza and there are ruins of the Acropolis Central  on one side and the Acropolis Norte on the other side.  The Acropolis Norte is considered a sacred place because it is the cemetery of the rulers of Tikal.  The Central Acropolis is the largest residential complex.

Bob was up and down pyramids all day long. 

This is our view from on top of Temple V.  It was the first temple/pyramid built at Tikal.  It was constructed around the year 600 AD by the ruler Animal Skull.  The tomb of this ruler was found inside the structure at the North Acropolis.  It was a beautiful view from the top.....  over 250 steps.