7/13 -- Tikal

Our day started earlier than usual because the hotel is over an hour away from Tikal and we wanted to arrive before it got too hot and busy. The park actually opens at 6am. but fortunately, we didn't get there quite that early. The weather on the trip has generally been hotter than we are used to (at home, a day that gets to 70 is quite toasty), but the lowlands of northern Guatemala have really tested our stamina. Both the temperatures and the humidity are in the 90s and mosquitoes are more of a problem.

We spent several hours exploring Tikal, which  is really big. However, archaeologists have stopped digging things out and clearing the jungle, because the structures weather much more quickly when exposed. The new way of excavating is to build tunnels and then fill them in. We learned several interesting things here. Everything we have seen in these stone cities was built for the royalty. Normal people didn't have stone dwellings, so nobody really knows much about their lives.

Most of the pyramids are solid and are not tombs, but appear to have religious and propaganda purposes (my temple is bigger than yours). In addition, many of the temples overlay earlier structures: sometimes as many as 4 structures are hidden inside the top layer. This appears to have been one way to build bigger quickly, and may also have served to obliterate the  memory of previous rulers.

Our first view of the most famous temple at Tikal.

A grey fox was exploring while we were there.

The slanted parts of this building and the round decorations are
more typical of Teotihuacan in Mexico. The slanted sections
improve seismic stability, a concern there but not here. It seems
that a baby queen was quickly deposed and instead of being killed
was moved to Mexico, where she grew up and married.  Her son
came back to Tikal, took over, and built temples in the style of his hometown.

That's Jim in the middle, climbing up the temple.

Above and below: Views from the top.

On our way back down, we met these two
young ladies who happen to have come from
the same part of Denmark where the
Hansens originated -- possibly long-lost cousins!

The homes were only used for sleeping. This
is a royal bedroom.

A coatimundi decided to check us out.

View across the jungle from another temple, with temple
tops in the distance.

Lynn & Jim at the top.

A tree called a 'naked Gringo' because of how
the bark peels in the sun. Gringo is used here to
describe any non-native, not just us.

The hole was enlarged by archaeologists who discovered this
was essentially and underground silo to protect food stores
from marauders.

A stone face hidden inside the outer layer of the temple.

Howler monkey

Lynn at another temple

Ceiba tree

After a late lunch near the park, we headed back to Flores, and took a quick tour of the main part of town, which is on an island. Back at the hotel, we got the first serious rain showers we have had despite this being the rainy season. The biggest impact us was that we decided not to walk the mile plus to the island restaurant for dinner. Dinner was in a lakeside restaurant and capped by a rousing happy birthday rendition for me with outrageous costumes. I had hoped to have a photo, but Luis' phone died as he tried to send it to me, so you'll will have to use your imagination.