Tikal: The Center of the Maya World

Tikal: The Center of the Maya World
Author: Elizabeth Mann
Mikaya Press
Wonders of the World Book
2002
ISBN: 193141405X
Pages: 48
Language: English
Format: PDF
Size: 90 MB

During the first millennium AD, one of the world's great civilizations appeared in the dense jungles of Mesoamerica. All over the Yucatan Peninsula, the Maya mastered sophisticated principles of mathematics, architecture, agriculture and astronomy and created scores of powerful city-states. At the center of this world was the largest city of them all -- Tikal. Sprawling over twenty-five square miles, Tikal was situated in the heart of the Yucatan, near rivers that flowed to every corner of the Maya world. Tikal prospered from trade and military triumphs. Its rulers used its wealth to build a magnificent city of palaces, grand plazas and some of the largest stone pyramids seen in the Americas. As with all great achievements of a civilization, Tikal is a window into the culture that created it. By telling the story of the city -- from its humble beginnings, through its bloody wars, to its "golden age" -- Tikal illuminates the Maya world in all its grandeur, glory and genius.