Mayan Relics and Monuments You Should See Before The World Ends
If the Mayan calendar is correct, the world is going to end in 2012. That's why tourists have been heading to Tikal, Guatemala, ground zero of the conspiracy set. All this week, Jonathan Franklin and Morten Andersen, the guys behind Addict Village will be looking into the madness behind the newest tourism trend, Doomsday Tourism.
Mayan Cities – of which Tikal is among the largest – are a wonder of engineering, craftsmanship and perfection. Temples, palaces and plazas emerge from the jungle like a futuristic space ship about to take lift. In fact, scenes from the original Star Wars movies were based on the ruins of Tikal.
Even today, much of Tikal is shrouded in mystery as large swaths of the estimated 23 square miles which made up the “residential” section of Tikal has yet to be excavated or even fully mapped.
At the center of Tikal – and practically all visits to the area -- is the Great Plaza, a complex of stone buildings, including steep pyramids that rise straight up, hundreds of feet from the thick jungle. These temples were used for human sacrifice – as the victim was forcibly held down, a priest cut open and removed the live, beating heart. Sportsman playing on nearby ball court was also sacrificed, giving a gladiator like quality to the spectacle.
Covered by cavorting monkeys, parrots and the occasional jaguar, the ruins at the Great Place includes platforms, seven courts for ball games and the pyramids which are over 230 feet high. Temple 1 – aka Temple of the Great Jaguar, was built around 700 AD and over the subsequent century another three temples (Temple II, Temple III, and Temple IV) completed the Great Plaza. Lost in the jungle until the 1850’s, the entire complex was in 1979 declared a World Heritage Siteby the United Nations.
With the heightened interest in the Mayan calendar, travelers are now hiking to the hinterlands to explore a a complex twice the size of Tikal: El Mirador, a Mayan center only recently being unearthed, which includes the largest pyramid in the Americas.
To reach El Mirador you must either charter a helicopter or prepare for a two day (by foot) or one day (by horse) expedition into the jungle.
For travellers who have seen it all, the world of travel might feel like it has come to an end, but not in Guatemala where lost civilizations are still being unearthed.
Related Stories
· It's the end of the world as we know it so get out your camera [Jaunted]
· How Tikal hotels are preparing for the end of the world [Jaunted]
Text and photo by Morten Andersen.
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