El Parque Nacional Tikal

I have finally gotten around to editing some of the photographs that I have taken during my trip last October to Tikal, the Mayan ruins in the center of El Petén in Guatemala. If you recall at the beginning of the year I wrote a long piece on the bus ride to El Flores - the jump off city for El Parque Nacional Tikal. You can find it in the archive, it is entitled ‘Guatemalan Nights’ and is from January 22, 2007.

Two things in particular struck me during my visit, one was that it was a park; it’s set up and designed for tourist. I guess I was thinking that it would be more primitive. Why I thought it would be otherwise I don’t know it seems obvious. And aside form the tourist park aspect of it; it is still primitive, much of it has not been excavated yet. There are many temples and pyramids that are still completed covered by jungle, if it were not for their symmetrical shape you’d completely miss them.

The other unexpected impression was the distance, it’s large; it can take fifteen or twenty minutes to walk between temples, and there are a lot of temples. Again, if I have given it any thought, I would have realized; it’s a city after all, as big as or bigger than many small cities in the United States.

I have only included a few of the photographs on my Notebook site. However, if you enjoy these photographs you can see a larger selection on my Flickr site in the set entitled Tikal. If you are interested in Mayan ruins you might also want to view the set from Chichén Itzá, the Mayan ruins in Mexico’s Yucatan peninsula. For a modern day view of the Mayan of Guatemala I have a set from the Mayan village of Chichicastenango in the Guatemala highlands

Above you will find an audio comment I recorded during my visit. You can listen by pressing the play arrow on the audio player icon below.

So enjoy, and if you ever get a chance to visit take plenty of water, insect repellent, the energy for climbing, a change of clothes – the humidity will have you dripping, and sturdy hiking boots.

Thanks for viewing and listening. And please comment, even negative comments are enjoyed and welcome.

Legends

Top Photograph: Veiw from the Top - Temple IV

2nd Photograph: Concealed Pyramid

3rd Photograph: Temple Raising Out of the Jungle

4th Photograph: Steps to Temple IV