The easiest way to get to the National Park Tikal is by plane. It takes no more than 50 minutes to fly from Guatemala-City to the airport in the town of Santa Elena (department Peten). Another hour by bus and here you are.
The National Park was founded in 1955. In 1979 it recognised as a monument of universal importance by the UNESCO. The park occupies 576 sq km, and the area of the Tikal complex does not exceed 16 sq km. The archeologists have found more than 4 thousand buildings of the Maya era here. Some of them are already digged out and open for a tourist eye, others are still worked on.
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Ancient Indians started to explore the present-day territory of Tikal 800 years before our era. According to historians, in the heyday Tikal used to have not less than 60 thousand dwellers and kept trade and economic (and diplomatic) relations with other civilisations of Mesoamerica. The Tikal top influence falls on the period of Ah-Cacao ruling. A funny name…
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