Tikal

Tikal, located in modern day Guatemala, was one of the largest and most prosperous cities of the Mayan Civilization. Tikal was an agricultural city started in the seventh century BCE, slowly developing and becoming more populous until its peak in the seventh and eighth centuries CE, when the population of the city is approximated to have been around 60,000. The city flourished as a center of trade and commerce, with trading contacts as distant as Mexico. This agricultural city produced the three main crops of corn, beans and squash. Tikal was advanced architecturally with elaborate palaces and temples, as well as small pyramids. By the ninth century CE Tikal began its decline, with complete abandonment around 1000 CE, most likely due to overpopultaion and exploitation of the land and its natural resources.

Sheets, Payson. "Tikal." __World Book Online Reference Center__. 2008. 2 Sept. 2008 .

Unit 1 Terms

Created by: Frances Grimball September 2, 2008