The ancient city of Tikal has the most impressive Mayan ruins in Central America and Tikal is the largest excavated site on the American continent. Maya, who wants to be a paleontologist, likes to go hiking around the city where pyramids peek out from the jungle.

The Mayans began building the city around 600 B.C. and for over 1000 years it was a cultural center for religion, politics and science. Tikal was a very wealthy city with over 100,000 residents. In the cityfs heyday there were over 3000 buildings built on the 23 square mile site of Tikal and its surrounding areas. There were temples, palaces, plazas, ball courts (the goal of the game was to pass a rubber ball through small rings on either side of the court) and steam baths. The buildings were mostly built out of limestone and painted in brightly colored patterns. Some were even painted all red. The tallest structure in Tikal is Temple 4. It is over 200 feet tall. Maya likes to climb up Temple 4 on the wooden ladders and look out over the jungle.

In addition to the important artifacts at Tikal, there is a wide range of animals that live in the nearby jungle. The howler monkeys and parrots squeak and squawk their way around the jungles providing music for the many travelers to the area.

To see more photos of Tikal, go to http://mayaruins.com/tikal/b3_028.html