Tikal
Tikal is located in Guatamala, about 40 miles from the Belize border. We joined a guided tour (10 individuals) that were driven to the ruins and escorted through the jungle from one site to another. It is estimated that Tikal once supported a population of about 100,000. In its heyday, the city probably covered as much as 25 square miles. The structures that have been excavated to date are scattered throughout six squares miles of jungle. So far, archaeologists have mapped about 3,000 constructions, 10,000 earlier foundations beneath surviving structures, 250 stone monuments (stelae and altars), and thousands of art objects found in tombs and cached offerings. There is evidence of continuous construction from 200 B.C. through the 9th century A.D., with some suggestion of occupation as early as 600 B.C. Most of the visible structures date from 600 A.D. to 900 A.D. While there, we spotted many birds and butterflys, a laughing falcon, and quite a few spider monkeys; we also heard lots of howler monkeys but were unable to get a good photograph.
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I was lucky to photograph this Laughing Falcon, aka Vasquero (cowboy).
This bird's wingspan can reach 37 inches
A hint of what lies deeper in the jungle
Ancient, hand carved rocks are no match for the huge trees
This is the first structure and grouping of stellae we saw.
The structure is not as tall as others, but the stellae are interesting and the setting lush.
Approaching the main site - couldn't imagine what we'd see another 20 ft down the path.