The Petén II: Tikal and its Neighbors

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Dipping Bird Vessel

By the 8th century Tikal's central population of 60,000 made it one of the largest cities in the Americas. Even prior to the Classic Period it was one of the superpowers of the Maya world. Its power in the Maya region would become fortified with the introduction of a new dynasty in the 4th century, founded by immigrants from the monumental city of Teotihuacan in central Mexico. Tikal boasted some of the largest temples and structures of the Maya region, as well as some of the region's most skilled artistry. This black ceramic vase features for its lid handle a small bird, wading and dipping its beak into the stylized water surface.

National Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology


Jade Mosaic Vase

I am indebted here to the history of Tikal summarized by Simon Martin and Nikolai Grube. Toward the end of the 7th century Tikal underwent a drastic turnaround with the accession of the new king Jasaw Chan K'awiil I, in 682. Under his rulership Tikal conquered some of its more powerful enemies, and the king would even reclaim the adoption of Teotihuacan military symbols. The conquests and expansion of Tikal continued with the king's son and successor, Yik'in Chan K'awiil, who also headed major monumental construction in the city center. This masterful jade vase represents Jasaw Chan K'awiil, and it was found in his tomb. Minute jade pegs held the plates into an original wooden cylinder.

National Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology


Tikal Jaguar Vessel

The wide, capped polychrome bowls are common to the Petén region, and many of them use a zoomorphic or human head for the lid "handle." This especially finely painted bowl from Tikal features a snarling jaguar, whose head describes the handle and whose remaining body is painted upon the lid. Even the rosettes upon its pelt are given striking detail. Upon the black background of the bowl a rectangular reptilian head appears in profile.

National Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology


Tikal Peccary Vessel

Very similar in style to bowl above, this vase has a peccary, a type of small pig native to the Americas. (To the ancient Maya the Gemini constellation was visualized as a pair of peccaries.) The same rectangular reptile head that appears in the jaguar vessel occurs here. Notice the repeating patterns around the bottom rim in both vessels; the multi-colored pattern here resembles a common two-dimensional symbol used for a rope or cord. The peccary seems to be dressed with a loincloth.

National Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology


Tikal Lintel 3

This marvelous wooden lintel counts as one of the masterpieces of the Archaeology Museum in Guatemala City. Such lintels were carved in relief and painted. At the center the headdressed lord Yik'in Chan K'awiil stands beneath the arched body of a great celestial serpent, whose mouth opens toward the bottom left corner. The Jester God emerges from the serpent's opened jaws. Lintel 3 comes from Temple 4, and it commemorates the half-katun turning on the long-count date 9.15.10.0.0 3 Ajaw 3 Mol, or July 23, 741. It also describes the lord's victory over the neighboring city of El Perú two years later.

National Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology


Macaw Vase from Tikal

I cannot help but think of the "Seven Macaw" deity from the K'ichee Maya creation mythology of the Popol Vuh. The splendidly feathered scarlet macaw of that tale was haughty enough to believe himself greater than the sun and the moon, so brilliant that the celestial light could not shine. The Hero Twins outwitted this titanic figure, reducing him to nothing more than the modern macaw. The slouching old man with the deep blue wings in this polychrome vase resonates with the famous bird deity.

National Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology


Jimbal Stele 1

The city of Jimbal was one of Tikal's closest neighbors, north from the great capital city. As with many of the Terminal Classic cities of the central Maya lowlands, Tikal was slipping into decline by the middle of the ninth century, the final dynastic kings desperately trying to maintain the glory of their predecessors by assuming their names and emulating their construction projects. Jimbal boasts the last of the stelae erected in the Tikal vicinity, dating to 889. This stele features a lord standing in left profile, flanked by two columns of descending glyphs.

National Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology


Wood Lintel from El Zotz

The satellite city of El Zotz, "The Bat," lay no more than 30 km west from Tikal. This wooden lintel comes from El Zotz Temple 1, and it dates between 500-550. The lord's profile faces to the left immediately below the upper split in the wood. He stands holding a bannered staff in front, beneath a pair of finely etched glyphs. Sapodilla was a preferred wood to carve in, given its durability, which would explain how well lintels such as this and Tikal Lintel 3 above have preserved.

National Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology


The North Acropolis of Tikal

The North Acropolis was first constructed around 350 BC, in the Late Preclassic, and it was continually expanded with tombs, inscriptions, temples, and other monuments. By the eighth century it featured 43 stelae, 30 altars, and at least 13 temples. Temple 1, today one of the most famous examples of Maya architecture, stands at the south end. It contained the tomb of the king Jasaw Chan K'awiil, and the funerary items discovered within included ceramic vases, jaguar pelts, jade beads, pearl jewelry, metal mirrors, and exotic shells.

Tikal