Page Two

George And Audrey DeLange

The city and surrounding areas are believed to have spanned an area of 23 square miles. The temples are mainly constructed out of limestone, which was very important for construction because it also provided lime for stucco and plaster. Pyramids represent the sacred mountains where it was believed that maize came from. The temples used to be covered in rich color patterns and some temples were even painted completely red. The east plaza was the main plaza in the Classic era, although today the Great Plaza is the center of the site. Seventy stelae, originally painted red, have been located around this ruin. These stelae, each of which once had an altar beside it, commemorate the rulers of Tikal, and their faces can still be seen today carved on one side of the large stone monuments. The nearby Temple of the Giant Jaguar is a 100-foot high pyramid concealing the tomb of Ahau Cacau, the divine ruler of Tikal. Other noteworthy temples and plazas are: the Temple of the Masks, Temple of the Jaguar Priest, the North Acropolis, and to the south of the great plaza complex, the Central Acropolis. Here there are 42 palaces, all excellent examples of Mayan architecture. The Great Plaza, the East Plaza, and the Plaza of the Seven Temples all have ball courts. In the Plaza of the Lost World, pyramid 5C-54 is one of the oldest pyramids with a core which is believed to have been built around 500 B.C. Southeast of Group G is a causeway that leads to the Temple of the Inscriptions, completed around 750 A.D.