Fact

Though all tarantulas are venomous and some bites cause serious discomfort that might persist for several days, so far no bite has been reported to cause a human fatality.

Fiction

The tarantula that I had on my wrist was actually only the shed skin of a tarantula. Our guide found the skin close to its burrow. The original guy, had long departed. Looked scary but really not so. Now I have you here, enjoy my photos of this magical destination - The Ruins of Tikal.

Real Interesting Facts

Tikal has played prominent roles in two famous movie series. Star Wars and James Bond episodes have used Tikal as a setting for part of their movies.

Flight to Flores

To get the the Ruins of Tikal from our house on Lake Atitlan would have been a very long drive as the ruins are located in the northeast corner or Guatemala. We flew from Guatemala City to the closest town to the ruins - Flores.

The ancient Mayan kingdom of Tikal is one of Guatemala’s most popular tourist attractions. Located deep in the jungle in the country’s Peten region, the ruins tallest temples rise dramatically above this dense jungle setting.

Tikal was the most prosperous city of the Mayan Classic Period, and the beating heart of the Mayan empire. Its jungle-shrouded pyramids draw visitors from all over the world. Yet, even today, this ancient site remains mysterious.

While the first archaeological records at Tikal date back to around 1000 BC, it wasn’t until around 300 BC that Tikal started to thrive. By 378 AD, Tikal was the dominant city in the region and ruled most of Mesoamerica politically, economically and militarily (Mesoamerica refers to Mexico and Central America before the arrival of the conquistadors in the 1500s). Today, the ruins of Mayan kingdoms are found throughout Belize, El Salvador, Honduras and Mexico, but none are as large or spectacular as Tikal, which at the height of its influence covered an area of 576 square kilometres (222 square miles).

While experts aren’t sure of the precise size of Tikal’s population, it’s thought that it was between 50,000 and 100,000 people during the Mayan Classic Period. Most researchers agree that the number is closer to the top end of this spectrum, making Tikal one of the largest cities of its time.

Tikal was ruled by a powerful dynasty that usually passed power down from father to son, and this aggressive superpower often warred with its neighbours.

One intriguing factor about Tikal is that no one knows for certain what caused its demise. By 950 AD Tikal had been entirely abandoned. How, and why, did a city that had existed for over 1,000 years suddenly disappear? Most researchers believe drought and deforestation were at the least contributing factors, but these are still just theories.

The lingering mystery of Tikal’s downfall now forms part of its appeal – once an ancient Mayan powerhouse that thrived, then abandoned and now reclaimed by the jungle.