Crosswinds

We went to Tikal in Guatemala. We have another country stamped in our passports. So on this trip we learned of some Hollywood fame. We also had our camera take a little nap, so we don't have any photos of the HUGE ruins. But this place is amazing! We also saw monkeys and many birds. Our tour guide did a great job teaching us a few thins about Mayan history. Worth the long drive to get to!!

Where we stopped for breakfast.

Cool wood floors! Looking up
The Beer of Guatemala
Hollywood fact #1 (this is you for you Jean and Rich!) Survivor Guatemala took place just over the bluff of this town. Survivor employed many people from about 4 local villages to help cook and clean for all the crew. So this is a paddle form Survivor given to the little restaurant we ate at.A large fresh water lake....strange there are no cabins! You can tell its not MN!

A (small) temple built to please the gods of the heavens or the underworlds. There are 9 head shopping blocks in front of it. Mayan liked blood. The Mayans in this area did not do virgin sacrifices or newborns.... nice to know.... Some of the temples have burial tomb of kings and high powered people under them. All of the top 2 temples and chopping blocks have been restored, that is why they look so nice.
This one and the one below show (left to right) what it is like when its covered with earth and trees then to its natural state of decay, then to the restored steps and sides
Each covered, original uncovered stones, then the restored.

This is the up view of type of tree the Mayans held sacred. the branches represent the heavens... Lots of floating plants grow in the tree tops.

The roots lead to the underworld.

Hollywood tip #2 is that this is the location that the celebration scene form Return of the Jedi is filmed. Where they are up high looking over the jungle.... way cool!

Other cool facts.... An attractive, upper class Mayan man would have a pointy head (as they would wear things as kids to form them that way), have fancy carved teeth (they are not sure how they did it, but they find the skulls and the teeth are carved into little art works) and they were cross eyed as they would put something in the center of their forehead that would make them that way .

One of the kings was huge giant! He was 5'10 and he towered over people.

Only 20% of the Mayans were upper class. There was little to no middle class. Most of the poor people built the temples. The average life expectancy was 34-35.

The first part of the construction of Tikal is about 5 acres of 30 feet of "concrete" like plates. They would catch every drop of water and it would flow down to the next plate to the next until the water reached the reservoirs. There was NO WATER in Tikal.... it all came from rain and dew. The Mayans were years ahead of the Romans and Greeks in this kind of technology!

There are still Mayans who practice the traditional religion. They were using the ancient stones and left blood on the ruins so the park made them an area they can use in font of their temples.

I wish I had photos of the BIG Temples. You should do a little image search on Tikal!

From the web:

Tikal is among the world's travel wonders, many calling Tikal one of the most spiritually powerful spots on earth. The monumental site with its towering pyramids looms out of the thick jungle canopy like stoic sentinels of ancient mysteries.Tikal was once a wealthy metropolis of 100,000 inhabitants and the seat of power for the great Jaguar clan lords. Today, Tikal attracts archeologists from all around the globe and the wild-live surrounding the ruins makes it a naturalist's dream. Because of its importance and magnificent combination of nature and archaeological remains, Tikal has been declared a Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO.The ruins of Tikal include more than 3,000 structures extending over six square miles and including palaces, temples, ceremonial platforms, ball courts, terraces, plazas, avenues and steam baths. The ancient Maya began building Tikal around 600 B.C., and for the next 1500 years the area was an important religious, scientific, and political center.The Tikal National Park is not only home to an ancient Mayan City. Screeching howler monkeys and squawking parrots provide nature's soundtrack to all visitors in the area. From monkeys to white lipped peccary, brocket deer, coati-mundis, toucans, scarlet macaws, parrots, ocelots; even the seldom jaguar can occasionally be spotted. Along with many vegetation spices there is also an abundance of tropical flowers.The charming town of Flores, with its pastel-colored buildings, enjoys a scenic setting on Lake Peten Itza. It is located about half an hour from the entrance of the National Park and serves as a gateway to explore the immediate area.