Guatemala Day Three. Sunrise From A Temple And A Day Exploring The Ancient Mayan City Of Tikal.
I never heard of Tikal until a few weeks ago. I had learned of the Inca, Maya and Aztec civilizations in elementary school and I have visited Mayan ruins in Belize. But I never heard of Tikal. However, in wanting to flee the cold and dark of November in Northeastern Pennsylvania I was looking for a place to visit that was warm, had a lot of wildlife and some history. And, I discovered Tikal. I learned it was a National Park located in the rain forest and jungles in remote northern Guatemala. 
I also learned it was a long lost Mayan city and is a United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage Site. It was in a rain forest with many hiking trail, birds, snakes and even jaguars. So I was soon making my travel plans to visit remote and exotic Tikal. My trip, being made on a short notice, did not give me much time to learn about the history of Tikal and the Mayans who built it. I read a little about the city that once was inhabited by 70, 000 people. My real education began at 4;30 a.m Sunday morning, my third day in Guatemala, at the Tikal Inn, when our Mayan guide, Nixon, lead me into the dark jungle on the Tikal National Park an hour before sunrise. 
I was accompanied on my four hour sunrise tour by my guide and a pleasant couple from Sydney, Australia. We learned so much about the history of Tikal, the Mayan people and culture and surrounding flora and fauna as we walked through the dark, jungle trail led by our guide Nixon with his flashlight. We had to walk slow avoid the many trees roots on the dirt trail. We left the trail to view one of the many stelae or stone monument that depicted kings, religious festivals, and military victories. They are usually associated with round ceremonial altars. 
We arrived Temple IV in the morning twilight and climbed the steep steps where we joined about 100 other tourists. We all sat in silence on the steps of the upper temple wall, 
listening to the jungle below slowly awaken as the sun approached the horizon. Howler monkeys began to bellow as birds began their morning songs. It was a mystic experience. 100 humans gathered from around the world and not a human voice, only the sounds of the jungle. Four Mayan temples could be seen below surrounded by the jungle, including the famous Temple of the Jaguar (Temple I ) and the Temple of the Masks (Temple II).
It was cloudy so we didn’t see a sunrise but it was still a moving experience to watch the colors appear in the eastern sky as the sun climbed up the horizon behind the clouds. Many folks left shortly after the sunrise. We stayed a while to reflect on the impressive scene and were treated to the appearance of the sun and a pretty sky.
Nixon had us climb the stone steps and look inside the temple while he continued to provide us with information on the history and culture of the Mayans and the temples. 
We eventually climbed back down the steep stairs and continued our sunrise tour through the jungle.
Nixon continued to show us native plants used by the Mayans as well as the layout and history of Tikal, once the home of over 70, 000 people. 
We were told that in the jungles we were hiking there were once expansive white limestone causeways connecting the six temples surrounded by many support structures and buildings. 
We visited a few more stelae and altars. This one depicted a queen who wished to have here remains returned to the city of her birth after her death. A replica was displayed in the dining room of the Tikal Inn were I was staying.
The morning sun began to filter through the trees as we continued our walk, and I saw and heard a few birds the first one I was able to photograph was one I was familiar with from my walks at home, a magnolia warbler. 
We visited a few other sites of ancient ruins,
and hiked through the thick vegetation in the jungle adding to our understanding of the Mayan civilization along the way. 
Nixon then took us to the Grand Plaza, the heart of ancient Tikal. 
Here we were given a history of the two famous temples and the many side structures, stelae and altars. The courtyard was a public assembly place for religious festivals, weddings, and civic event. The plaza was designed for sound and Nixon demonstrated the acoustics to us by clapping his hands and letting us hear the sound echo across the temples. 
We were then given a 1/2 hour to roam around the Grand Plaza,
and I explored the many altars and inscribed stelae surrounding the two towering temples. 
Around 10 a.m. we began our hike back to the Inn, learning more about the culture of the Mayans as we hiked under the canopy of trees in the jungle. 
Along the way Nixon spotted this beautiful collared aracari and 
this slaty-tailed trogon in the tree branches. We passed many tourists entering the park and also encountered a few troops of howler monkeys on the hike back. We finished our 4 1/2 mile hike around 10:30, just in time to have another hearty breakfast at the Inn. Here is a link to a gallery on my website with some more photos from my educational sunrise hike to Temple IV. Guatemala Day Three. Tikal sunrise hike November 10 2024. 
After breakfast I decided to immediately set out on another hike in the National Park. I wanted to get my hiking in early since I wanted to try and watch the Philadelphia Eagles football game on my laptop computer at 3:30 p.m. So, even though it was near noon and getting hot I left the Inn and walked the 1/4 mile to the entrance to the park, first walking through the parking lot, now filled with cars, vans and buses. 
I walked past the visitor information booth,
and entered the park with the colored plastic wrist band I got on the sunrise tour. 
I walked on the main road into the park,
past the much photographed ceiba tree, the sacred tree of the Mayans found near all of the temples in Takil,
and at the intersection of the trails to the Grand Plaza and Temple IV, I took the less traveled road to the left to Temple VI. This is the most remote Temple and Nixon told me it would be a good hiking trail to see birds and wildlife. 
Although the lush jungle filtered the mid-day sun it was still very hot walking on the trail, temperatures were in the 80’s even in the shade. 
I walked under the strange trees and plants, 
seeing, a few different,
species of mushrooms
,
and only one pretty wildflower. 
I did see some bird activity even in the mid day heat. I saw this string ivory billed woodcreeper,
this eastern olivaceous flatbill, 
and a bird I am very familiar with a wood thrush, one of the hundreds I would see and hear on my trip that that migrated here form North America. 
I continued following the trail trough the jungle for about a mile and came to the imposing Temple VI. I saw and reflected on the temple wishing I would have read more on the history of the Mayans before my trip. 
However, I also came to hike, enjoy nature, and look for birds and wildlife and I found the Tikal National Park to be the perfect place for this. I had unlimited hiking trails to explore. And I followed this trail back toward the Grand Plaza. I did not see another human on my hike,
but I did see a small group of howler monkeys, 
climbing overhead in the treetops.
I also saw a few more birds on my return hike including a couple of brown jay. They are pretty birds, like their cousins the blue jays back north, but, they too are noisy and their loud calls seem to scare many of the other birds away. 
I also saw a white breasted wood wren,
and ended my bird sightings for the day as I had started with a magnolia warbler. Here is a link to a gallery on my website with some more photos of the birds I saw on my hikes in Tikal. Guatemala Day Three. Tikal birds November 10 2024. 
I coninued my hike through the thick jungle passing many ruins and buildings still buried beneath the centuries of vegetation.
AS I neared the Grand Plaza I came upon more ruins that I explored. 
Again, I wish I had learned more of the history of Tikal as I walked among the abandoned structures .
I then headed back to the Inn as the mid day sun filtered through the lush treetosp. I had walked another 3 1/2 miles putting me over 8 mils for the day. Here is a link to a gallery on my website with some more photos from my hike in the national park. Guatemala Day Three. Tikal hike November 10 2024. 
I returned to my room at the Inn and, not finding the Eagles game on the internet, ( there were no televisions in the rooms or on the property) I followed the score on my computer while I edited photos. The Eagles romped over Dallas, making this another Eagles victory I have watched overseas. I haved seen the Eagles win in Ecuador, Cuba, Panama, Costa Rica and England. It was dinner time when the game was over and I had another hearty meal, a pasta dish and large salad. It was a long day, and I watched the waxing gibous moon in the tropical sky, listening to the the night sounds of the jungle before retiring, looking forweard to another day of exploring the Tikal National Park.
“Let there be light, let there be life.” The Popol Vuh
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