Maya Ruins of Tikal and Copán

Destination: Guatemala and Honduras

Travel guidebook summary

Use our unrivaled guidebooks to explore the ancient Maya ruins of Guatemala and Honduras and discover the most impressive art and architecture in the New World. Featured sites include Tikal, Copán, and Quiriguá.

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★ ★ ★ ★ ★ Excellent guidebook
We used this guide in Copan and Tikal. The book allows for an interesting tour of the sites. The colored photos make it easy to locate the highlights. In addition there is enough background material to provide a good understanding of Mayan culture.

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Message from the author

“The Maya civilization is fascinating to me because its artistic forms demand close, prolonged inspection … looking at an image is like solving a puzzle. With this in mind, we focused on symbolism and on making the complex imagery more easily identifiable in the guidebook’s photos.”

David Raezer | Founder & Author, Approach Guides

Tikal & Copan: About this Guidebook

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Guidebook Description

The Maya religious centers of Tikal and Copán are one of Mesoamerica’s cultural treasures, the remains of a great civilization that prospered for 2,000 years (peaking from 600-800 CE) and created some of the most impressive art and architecture in the New World. Still infused with their historical magic, they are yours to discover.

What’s in this guidebook

Background. We start off by providing some critical background information — focusing on cosmology and the role of the dynastic ruler — that makes sense of the forms and symbols of the unique Maya aesthetic.
Tours of Tikal and Copán. Following our tradition of being the most valuable resource for culture-focused travelers, we then turn our attention to two of the most spectacular Maya cities: Guatemala’s Tikal and Honduras’ Copán. For each city, we start by introducing the distinctive features of its art and architecture, isolating key features and concepts that you will see again and again as you make your way through the site. The tours walk you through the highlights, aided by high-resolution images and a discussion that ties it all together.
Bonus site: Quiriguá. As a special bonus, we also profile the smaller Maya site of Quiriguá, an ideal addition to your existing Tikal and/or Copán itinerary.
Advice for getting the best cultural experience. To help you plan your visit, this guidebook supplies logistical advice, detailed maps and links to online resources. Plus, we give our personal tips for getting the most from your experience while on location.
Information the way you like it. As with all of our guides, this book is optimized for intuitive, quick navigation; information is organized into bullet points to make absorption easy; and images are marked up with text that explains important features.

Table of Contents

Introduction

The Maya in Guatemala and Honduras

Know Before You Go

Maya Cosmology

The Cult of the Ruler

Sculpture as Political Tool

Maya Stelae: Style and Evolution

Maya Cosmological Symbols

TIKAL (GUATEMALA)

Background and History

Tikal’s Architectural Styles

The Late Preclassic Style

The Early Classic Style

The Late Classic Style

Map and Tour Itinerary

Great Plaza and North Acropolis

Map of Great Plaza and North Acropolis

1a. North Acropolis

1b. Structure 43

1c. Great Plaza: Temples I and II

1d. Great Plaza Stelae

Lost World Complex (Mundo Perdido)

2a. Pyramid 49

2b. Pyramid 54

Temple IV
Temple of the Inscriptions
Museums

5a. Stela 31 (Museo Tikal)

5b. Stela 16 (Museo Lítico)

5c. Altar 5 (Museo Lítico)

5d. Stela 22 (Museo Lítico)

Twin Pyramid Group Q

COPÁN (HONDURAS)

Background and History

Copán’s Architecture and Carved Reliefs

Map and Tour Itinerary

West Court

1a. Pyramid 16 and Rosalila

1b. Altar Q

1c. Stela P

1d. Pyramid 11

East Court

2a. Building 22

Court of the Hieroglyphic Stairway

3a. Pyramid 26 and the Stairway

3b. Stela M

Ballcourt
Great Plaza

5a. Stela A

5b. Stela B

5c. Stela C

5d. Altar G1

5e. Stela H

QUIRIGUÁ (GUATEMALA)

Background and History

Quiriguá’s Sculpted Monuments

Stelae

Zoomorphs

Map and Tour Itinerary

Stela C
Stela D
Zoomorph B
Stela E
Stela F
Stela I
Zoomorph P
Altar of Zoomorph P

Maya: The Big Picture

Map of the Maya World

Timeline

Maya History In Summary

Video Overview

Continuing Travel in the Americas

About Approach Guides

Additional Info

Maya Ruins of Tikal and Copán

Travel guidebook summary

Message from the author

Tikal & Copan: About this Guidebook

Guidebook screenshots

Guidebook details

What’s in this guidebook

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