Tikal: The Mayan City of the Jaguar God

A bustlingcity-state which flourished from the year 300 to 850 CE. This is Tikal, also known as Mutul -- theCity of the Jaguar God of the Underworld. Perhaps less known and less celebrated thanPalenque, Teotihuacan, or other ancient cities of central America, Tikal is wonderfully preservedand simply breath-taking, with its towering pyramids emerging from the greenery. Along the way, we are going to find out aboutthe Mayas’ history, complex religion, and the two reasons why we should be thankfulfor them.

 History of Tikal  The Maya were a native people of Mexico and Central America who inhabited the lands comprisingmodern-day Yucatan, Quintana Roo, Campeche, Tabasco, and Chiapas. Their civilization stretched well beyond current-dayMexican borders, southward through Guatemala, Belize, El Salvador and Honduras. The overall time span of the Maya extendedfrom 7000 BCE to 1524 CE. But their civilisation reached its apex ofmaximum splendor during the so-called ‘Classic Period’, from 250 to 900 CE. The Maya have intrigued the world since theirmodern `discovery’ in the 1840s by John Lloyd Stephens and Frederick Catherwood. Contrary to popular imagination, the Mayadid not vanish, and their descendants still inhabit the same lands. Many even continue to practice, sometimesin a modified form, the same rituals of their ancestors. A prime example of the Maya cultural peakis the ancient city-state of Tikal. Tikal, one of the grandest cities in Mesoamerica,dates back to 300 BCE, when the first settlements were established. In the 1st Century CE, the Tikalians undertooka massive clearing of jungle vegetation and built the first monumental buildings.

Tikal was surrounded by valuable goods, andit didn’t take long for the city to thrive. Cedar wood, colour dyes, copal resin, allcontributed to its economic growth. So did maize – or corn – a major cropthat fed much of the growing city. In the year 378 Tikal came into contact withforces from distant Teotihuacan, the powerful Aztec centre in Mexico. We don’t know if the nature of this contactwas an invasion, or simply trade, but the Aztecs definitely had an influence on thecultural practices at Tikal, from art to architecture. From the late 4th century, Tikal initiatedan aggressive expansionist campaign, forming an alliance with Kaminaljuyú, a rich highlandcity controlling crucial trade routes in the Maya region. The Tikalians also conquered the long-timerival city of Uaxactún. In the 6th century, Tikal got a taste of itsown medicine, suffering a military defeat from the city-state Caracol in 562. But during the following century, Tikal recovered,big time. The city reached its zenith in the 7th century,becoming a sort of Maya superpower. At this time, the population of Tikal reached50,000 inhabitants, spread over 200 square kilometres of multiple settlements. The ruler responsible for this resurgencewas Jasaw Chan K'awiil, who defeated rival Calakmul in 695 and oversaw a significantrebuilding programme in the city.

This is when the Tikalians erected the mostimpressive monuments, such as the massive pyramids known as Temple I and II. These buildings granted for Tikal a listingas a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. Along with other major Maya cities, Tikalwent into gradual decline during the 8th century, and by 900 it had become a ghost town. Its gigantic structures and soaring pyramidswere abandoned by its inhabitants. The once-proud architecture fell into disrepairand was reclaimed by nature, covered by the jungle, month after month, inch after inch,waiting to be rediscovered. A Lost WorldTikal was eventually found following Stephens’ and Cathewoods’ expeditions in the mid-19thCentury. Of course, the ancient city was known to thelocals, so it wasn’t really a ‘discovery’ to anyone near the Yucatan. Today’s UNESCO heritage site consists ofnine clearings, or ‘plazas’ and courts connected by causeways and ramps, surroundedby more than 3,000 structures. Before the year 250, the Great Plaza and NorthAcropolis were built along a north-south axis. Later constructions, such as Temples I andII in the 8th century, followed an east-west axis, balancing the plan of the city. Besides its imposing temples, the city alsohad palaces, a market complex, ten reservoirs, two sacred causeways, and a unique tripleballcourt. Yes, it is well known that the Mayas playedball. More on this later.

The larger structures at the site all displaythe usual Maya features of multi-level pyramids, raised platforms, vaulted chambers, largestucco masks of gods flanking staircases. But the most important feature is that manyof the buildings were placed according to astrological considerations. For example: from one of the temples you cansee the sun rising on the 12th of February. From another temple, along the same axis,the sun can be observed rising on the 30th of October. Both are key dates of the Maya sacred calendar,more on this later. It is believed that the pyramidal structurewas a representation of the sacred mountain-top caves: Mesoamerican people had used them asplaces of worship for millennia. The North Acropolis houses temples built ontwo rectangular platforms used as mausoleums for the early Tikal kings. The richest tomb belongs to Yax Nuun Ayiin,also known as 'Curled Nose,' who died in 420. He was buried in all his finery along withmaize gruel, which may explain the curled nose. But as a powerful ruler, he had the privilegeof having nine sacrificial victims also buried with him. Also, a more pleasant surprise: several finepots of chocolate. As an aside, I would not be surprised if oneday an archaeologist translated one of the inscriptions at Tikal to find it to be a giantsign saying ‘You Are Welcome.’ That’s because the Mayas discovered cocoaand invented chocolate. They consumed it mostly in its liquid form,and treated it as a delicacy, a medicine and an aphrodisiac.

Other rulers buried in the temples, with orwithout chocolate, include Moon Zero Bird, Great Jaguar Paw, Stormy Sky, and SmokingFrog. When hearing those names, you may have noticedthat a) they sound awesome, andb) one of them may sound familiar. Jaguar Paw is in fact the protagonist of MelGibson’s film Apocalypto, about the decline of the Maya civilisation. The film was mainly shot in Mexico, althoughsecond unit filming took place in and around Tikal. According to the local tour guides, Gibsonand scriptwriter Safinia visited Tikal to draw inspiration from local historical charactersand their stories. All these rulers I mentioned dwelled in thefive-story Royal palace in the Great Plaza. The structure has extensive galleries, enclosedcourtyards, and artistic depictions of captives. The courtyards were used for ceremonies suchas royal blood-letting and sacrifices. I’ll get into these later. Obviously, viewer discretion is advised. Nearby all this is the 'Lost World', or ‘MundoPerdido’ in Spanish. It is dominated by a huge pyramid flankedby a row of small temples. Their exact purpose is unknown, but thoseto the east are aligned with the sunrise at the equinoxes. This is more proof of the Maya’s incrediblysophisticated astronomical knowledge. The real centre-pieces of the Tikal site arethe late temples, built on the east-west axis. Temple I is a 50 meter (164 ft) high pyramid.

 If you want to get on top, you will have toclimb a steep 70-degree staircase, with steps so narrow they can only be climbed side-footed. Temple I is layered over nine levels, in imitationof the nine levels of the Maya underworld. This temple was also the burial site for theking of the Maya resurgence, Jasaw Chan K'awiil. His wife may have been buried in Temple II,42-metre high. The tallest structure in Tikal, though, isthe 70-meter high Temple IV, which acts as a tomb to a king named Yax Kin. Fun fact: it was from the top of this Templethat George Lucas filmed a shot for ‘Star Wars: A New Hope’. I am no expert of Star Wars lore, but accordingto fan forums Tikal doubled as the Rebel base of Yavin IV. Tikal rulers were celebrated not only by massivepyramids, but also by simple stone slabs, which depicted their features and recordedtheir stories. Such stelae in Tikal are the oldest recordedinscribed slabs in Mesoamerica. One of them shows a ruler holding in his lefthand an interesting fellow, who will be our guide to the religion and customs of the Mayas:the Jaguar God of the Underworld. The Jaguar God of XibalbaThe Jaguar God is considered to be the protector deity of Tikal. Among other things he was the patron of War,of the Number Seven and maybe even a fire god. But most importantly, he was one of the Lordsof Xibalba, also called Metnal, a dark and frightening place we would call the Underworld. The Jaguar God is usually depicted as havingsquare eyes with spiral pupils, and a single large tooth.

The Maya carved or drew this God with so-calledk'in signs, which are symbols of the Sun, a curious attribute for one of the Lords ofthe Afterlife. This has led to interpret the Jaguar as asymbol of the sun during night time, while it travels through Xibalba. Xibalba was a terrifying place, in which allsouls would end up after death. It was populated by deities with cheerfulnames like Bloody Teeth, Flying Scab, and Bloody Claw. Which by total coincidence, are the namesof my three cats. Xibalba was covered in eternal darkness andthe barren landscape was strewn with rivers of blood and pus. A newly arrived soul would start a quest forTamoanchan, the Maya paradise, and the mischievous Lords of Xibalba would steer them in the rightor wrong direction, according to their whims. Souls of the dead had to ascend the nine levelsto reach the middle world, our Earth, and then climb thirteen more levels before reachingHeaven. The stay here was short, for souls then descendedto a lower level, on the earth or just above it, to live in eternal happiness. A well deserved happiness, I’d like to add. The only souls considered exempt from thisjourney were sacrificial victims, women who died in childbirth, those killed in warfare,suicides, and those who died playing the ball game Poc-a-Toc. Before I continue my exquisite investigationof the Maya afterlife and their pantheon, please allow me to talk sports.

 I am a bloke after all. So what is Poc-a-Toc exactly? Poc-a-tocAs a major Maya city, Tikal could boast several courts for playing Poc-a-toc, located in itsinner urban zone of around 400 hectares. Here the courts are surrounded by palaces,temples, ceremonial platforms, residential buildings and terraces. The traditional ball game of Poc-a-toc wasdeveloped during the Classic Period of Maya history. Some sources claim it is even older, invented3500 years ago. That would make it arguably the first organizedgame in the history of sports, and certainly the first organized ball sport. Another reason to say ‘thank you’ to theMayas. Poc-a-Toc was the most popular game amongthe Mayas and was far more than a simple sport or competition: it symbolized the human struggle,the cyclical nature of time and reflected the way the Mayas viewed existence. If you want to try your hand at Poc-a-toc,the rules are not entirely clear to Mayanists. But we do know that the game involved twoopposing teams of two to seven men each.

They faced each other, trying to score a smallrubber ball through a vertical hoop affixed to a wall, twenty feet in the air or evenhigher. Sounds easy? Wait to hear this. The solid rubber balls used were heavy, upto eight or nine pounds, and could cause serious injury or even death. Plus, players were not allowed to use thehands or the feet, having to rely only on their hips, shoulders, head and knees to hurlthe balls around. Spanish Bishop Diego De Landa wrote that watchingthe Mayas play Poc-a-Toc was like watching lightning strikes, due to the speed and skillof the players. Some matches were simply what they lookedlike: a game of ball – sometimes with gambling on the side, very often with critical injuriesat the end. But others had a deep religious meaning, involvinghuman sacrifice. It has long been believed that the losingteam, or their captain, would be killed at the end of the match. But recent findings suggest the opposite:it was the winners who had the honour of being put to a quick death. This would ensure them an escape from thedarkness of Xibalba and an instant passage to paradise, as I said earlier. In other occasions, the city rulers wouldchallenge a team of captive warriors in a rigged game.

that case, it was the losing captives whowere killed by ritual sacrifice. Other theories about the mysterious Poc-a-tocis that it was used as a proxy for war between rival cities, which is a great way to resolveinternational conflict if you ask me. In WWII my country could have won in justa week by challenging Germany and Italy to a game of test cricket, for example. Although I am not so sure about the resultsif the chosen sport was football - also known as soccer if you belong to the former colonies. Warfare aside, the game of Poc-a-toc’s importanceis made clear by its inclusion in the Popol Vuh, one of the few remaining books of theMayas. Here, the game is played by Hunahpu and Xbalanque,the hero Twins who defeated the Dark Masters of Xibalba. The Popol VuhMost of the ancient Maya texts had been carelessly destroyed following the invasion of the Spanishconquistadores. The Bishop of the Yucatan peninsula, and sportscommentator, Diego De Landa, was the main culprit: he had most of these books burnedin July of 1562. As they used to say, nobody expects the SpanishInquisition. The Popol Vuh was one of the very few survivors,making it all the more important in understanding Maya traditions and especially their creationmyths. The Mayas also knew this book as ‘The LightThat Came From Beside The Sea,’ but following its translation into Spanish by the missionaryXimenez in the 18th Century, it became known in Europe as “the Maya Bible”.

The comparison is not precise, though, asthe Popol Vuh should be seen more as an epic poem, the equivalent of the Iliad and Odyssey,rather than a purely religious work. The Mayas would have defined this book asan Ilb'al: an instrument of sight, providing a hearer with clarity. The Popol Vuh is a collection of stories thatdescribe the creation of the world, of the human beings, and how the order was establishedby the great Hero Twins, Hunahpu and Xbalanque, through their victory over the forces of darknessand death. In these stories, the early demi-gods HunHunahpu and Vucub Hunahpu, symbols of the planets and fertility, are excellent Poc-a-Tocplayers. They enjoy themselves too much playing it,though, and the noise they make enrages the dark Lords of Xibalba. They invite the two brothers to the underworld,challenging them to a match. This is just a pretext, and the two demi-godsare tricked and murdered. Their bodies are buried under the Poc-a-toccourt, but Hun Hunahpu’s head is placed inside a calabash tree, as a warning for thedark Lords’ strength. This head is still animated, though, and itspits into the palm of the virgin goddess Xquiq. She later becomes pregnant with two boys:the Hero Twins, Hunahpu and Xbalanque. Not only they are both ace Poc-a-Toc-ans (ifthat’s a word), but they are also fierce warriors who defeat the Lords of Xibalba andall the forces of chaos and darkness.

A Spiritual World, A Cyclical TimeThese stories only offer a glimpse of the complex nature of Maya religion, which trickledinto every aspect of their civilization -- from their architecture, to their personal appearance,and even their calendar. The Maya gods may have lived in Tamoanchan,or paradise, but they were an integral part of everyday life. The jungles surrounding their cities wereinhabited by the great god of the woods, Yum Caax, protector of plants and animals. The rains came because Chac was pleased andLord Yaluk flashed his lightning. Each individual had a spirit guide, the Wayob,who helped him or her as an animal, or as a dream, relaying messages from the spiritualrealm. Each year, at the spring and autumn equinoxes,the great serpent god Kukulcan descended from the sky down the staircase of his temples. In summary, the whole of the earth, and humanlife, were imbued with spiritual forces which needed to be honoured and consulted, for thecommunity and individuals to prosper.

Mathematics and Astronomy were also part ofreligious observance and were key components in the creation of the Sacred Calendar. The Maya actually had two calendars: a secularone to track the days and the seasons, and a sacred one to predict the future and chartthe courses of the stars. The scribes and the priests doubled as astronomers,studying the cycles of the planets, seeking in the celestial patterns the celestial messagesof the gods. These messages would be carried to the rulerof the city, an intermediary between the gods and the people. Inconveniently, these gods had a taste forhuman blood. Blood was their food and the kings were notexempt from this sacrifice. A ritual involved the king using a stringof thorns on his tongue or penis to draw blood on a leaf which was then burned as an offeringto the gods. If the offering was acceptable, based on thepattern of the burning leaf, the petition of the king was granted. If not, a further sacrifice was needed. While gods accepted animals and gems as agift, human sacrifice was central to Maya beliefs. Excavations in and around Tikal and othersites have revealed bones of what appear to be sacrificial victims. Human sacrifice is also depicted in paintingsand carvings throughout the Maya region. Some of these victims were prisoners of war,while others were citizens of the community. Remember -- Dying as a sacrificial victimwas a great honour, as it granted immediate ascension to Heaven. Our ‘friend’ Bishop De Landa, wrote:“Their festivals were only to secure the goodwill or favour of their gods…They believedthem angry whenever they were molested by pestilences, dissensions, or droughts or thelike ills, and then … forgetful of all natural piety and all law of reason they made sacrificesof human beings as easily as they did of birds” In other cities, like Chichen Itza the sacrificetook the form of being thrown into the Sacred Cenote, a deep natural well. But in Tikal and other sites, victims wereusually disembowelled. Or, as depicted most frequently by popularculture, the victims had their hearts torn out on the altar of a temple. The Mayas believed in the cyclical natureof time and of life. So, for them, nothing and no one ever truly`died.’ Sacrificial victims were considered to havesimply `moved on’ to live among the gods. We don’t have their views on the matter,sadly.

All of existence carried on eternally in thegreat cycle of time, and this was illustrated in both the secular and sacred calendars. Now, if you are aged seven or younger … youshouldn’t be watching this. I have been talking about people being disembowelled. For Pete’s sake, go back to Peppa Pig. But if you are eight or older, you may rememberthe big 2012 scare. Based on an incorrect interpretation of theMaya calendars, many believed that the world would end on the 21st of December 2012. But this is the wrong way to look at the Mayabeliefs, through a western European lens. For the Maya, time was eternal, bound in endlesscycles, and as such it could never end. The identified date in 2012 was simply theend of one cycle, called a ‘Baktun’, and the beginning of another.

 It could be argued that Time itself was thesupreme god of the Maya pantheon and their intricate calendars rose from, and then shaped,their religious beliefs. Decline of the MayasAround 900 AD, the Maya may have marked the end of one such cycles of time. That period, during which Tikal was abandonedby its inhabitants, marked the end of the so-called Classic Maya Period. This was the age of maximum splendour forthis civilization: this is when the Mayas reached their peak in science, architecture,military power and demography, numbering in the millions. Then, the Mayas mysteriously started abandoningtheir once-grandiose cities and dispersing into the surrounding rural areas. So far, archaeologists and historians havenot found a clear explanation as to why this happened: climate change and overpopulationare two likely possibilities. The Toltecs, a new tribe moving into the region,took over the vacant urban centres and re-populated them. The Mayas scattered around the jungles andmountains of central America, divided into several tribes such as the Quiche [Key-tches]or the Cakchiquel [Cahk-chee-kell]. After a long period of decline, a calamitybefell upon them.

This one is clearly documented -- the arrivalof the Conquistadores. On the 6th of December 1523, one of HernanCortes’ lieutenants, Pedro De Alvarado, left Tenochtitlán – Mexico City – lookingfor more riches in the area of today’s Guatemala. He was leading 400 Spanish soldiers and over5000 native auxiliaries. The area was not completely unknown to theSpanish: in fact, a previous expedition had introduced smallpox, which had eradicatedone third of the population. Alvarado soon clashed with the Quiche Mayas,ruling the highlands since the 14th century, from their capital Utatlan. The Quiche were not a unified people, though:constant infighting had led them to abandon the fertile valleys to inhabit fortress-liketowns, like their capital. All this had put them in a position of weaknessagainst the invaders. When Alvarado and his men arrived at Utatlanthey asked the Mayas to surrender peacefully. The Quiches refused to cooperate and theirleader Tecum rallied 10,000 troops. But Alvarado had already brought the Cakchiqueltribes to his side, in exchange for favourable treatment. Tecum succeeded in increasing his army to30,000 warriors. They marched into battle behind flag bearers,conch-shell trumpet players, and rows of drummers. Then, on a plain outside of Quetzaltenango,both sides clashed in a fierce battle.

 The Quiches, numerically superior, were outclassedby the superior Spanish weapons and suffered a horrific defeat. The Quiches surrendered, and Alvarado burnedUtatlan to the ground. The year of the battle of Utatlan, 1524, traditionallymarks the end of the Maya Civilization. Going to TikalToday the Tikal National Park is a UNESCO Heritage site, embedded within the Maya BiosphereReserve. The Park is one of the few World Heritageproperties inscribed according to both natural and cultural criteria, for its extraordinarybiodiversity and archaeological importance. The park boasts 57,600 hectares of wetlands,savannah, tropical broadleaf and palm forests, plus the main archaeological sites. Local wildlife includes jaguars, pumas, anteaters,300 species of birds, and several species of monkeys. By the way, watch out for the monkeys. You don’t piss off the monkeys. One of our team went there some years ago,and he managed to piss off the monkeys. He was targeted with vines, branches and faeces. From the monkeys. You leave the monkeys alone. So, if you are lucky enough to visit Guatemala,definitely go visit Tikal. If time is indeed cyclical, and nothing everdies, then Tikal is a clear example: preserved and mostly intact since it was abandoned hundredsof years ago, this city is a unique experience to witness the might and spiritual knowledgeof the ancient Mayas.