ul , meaning " First Mutal " . Tikal may have come to have been called this because Dos Pilas also came to use the same emblem glyph ; the rulers of the city presumably wanted to distinguish themselves as the first city to bear the name . The kingdom as a whole was simply called Mutul , which is the reading of the " hair bundle " emblem glyph seen in the accompanying photo . Its precise meaning remains obscure .   = = Location = =   The closest large modern settlements are Flores and Santa Elena , approximately 64 kilometres ( 40 mi ) by road to the southwest . Tikal is approximately 303 kilometres ( 188 mi ) north of Guatemala City . It is 19 kilometres ( 12 mi ) south of the contemporary Maya city of Uaxactun and 30 kilometres ( 19 mi ) northwest of Yaxha . The city was located 100 kilometres ( 62 mi ) southeast of its great Classic Period rival , Calakmul , and 85 kilometres ( 53 mi ) northwest of Calakmul 's ally Caracol , now in Belize .   The city has been completely mapped and covered an area greater than 16 square kilometres ( 6 @.@ 2 sq mi ) that included about 3 @,@ 000 structures . The topography of the site consists of a series of parallel limestone ridges rising above swampy lowlands . The major architecture of the site is clustered upon areas of higher ground and linked by raised causeways spanning the swamps . The area around Tikal has been declared as the Tikal National Park and the preserved area covers 570 square kilometres ( 220 sq mi ) .   The ruins lie among the tropical rainforests of northern Guatemala that formed the cradle of lowland Maya civilization . The city itself was located among abundant fertile upland soils , and may have dominated a natural east – west trade route across the Yucatan Peninsula . Conspicuous trees at the Tikal park include gigantic kapok ( Ceiba pentandra ) the sacred tree of the Maya ; tropical cedar ( Cedrela odorata ) , and Honduras mahogany ( Swietenia macrophylla ) . Regarding the fauna , agouti , white @-@ nosed coatis , gray foxes , Geoffroy 's spider monkeys , howler monkeys , harpy eagles , falcons , ocellated turkeys , guans , toucans , green parrots and leafcutter ants can be seen there regularly . Jaguars , jaguarundis , and cougars are also said to roam in the park . For centuries this city was completely covered under jungle . The average annual rainfall at Tikal is 1 @,@ 945 millimetres ( 76 @.@ 6 in ) .   One of the largest of the Classic Maya cities , Tikal had no water other than what was collected from rainwater and stored in ten reservoirs . Archaeologists working in Tikal during the 20th century refurbished one of these ancient reservoirs to store water for their own use .   The Tikal National Park covers an area of 575 @.@ 83 square kilometres ( 222 @.@ 33 sq mi ) . It was created on 26 May 1955 under the auspices of the Instituto de Antropología e Historia and was the first protected area in Guatemala .   = = Population = =   Population estimates for Tikal vary from 10 @,@ 000 to as high as 90 @,@ 000 inhabitants , with the most likely figure being at the upper end of this range .   The population of Tikal began a continuous curve of growth starting in the Preclassic Period ( approximately 2000 BC – AD 200 ) , with a peak in the Late Classic with the population growing rapidly from AD 700 through to 830 , followed by a sharp decline . For the 120 square kilometres ( 46 sq mi ) area falling within the earthwork defenses of the hinterland , the peak population is estimated at 517 per square kilometer ( 1340 per square mile ) . In an area within a 12 kilometres ( 7 @.@ 5 mi ) radius of the site core , peak population is estimated at 120 @,@ 000 ; population density is estimated at 265 per square kilometer ( 689 per square mile ) . In a region within a 25 kilometres ( 16 mi ) radius of the site core and including some satellite sites , peak population is estimated at 425 @,@ 000 with a density of 216 per square kilometer ( 515 per square mile ) . These population figures are even more impressive because of the extensive swamplands that were unsuitable for habitation or agriculture . However , some archaeologists , such as David Webster , believe these figures to be far too high .   = = Rulers = =   The dynastic line of Tikal , founded as early as the 1st century AD , spanned 800 years and included at least 33 rulers .   = = History = =   = = = Preclassic = = =   There are traces of early agriculture
ul Ġ, Ġmeaning Ġ" ĠFirst ĠMut al Ġ" Ġ. ĠTik al Ġmay Ġhave Ġcome Ġto Ġhave Ġbeen Ġcalled Ġthis Ġbecause ĠDos ĠPil as Ġalso Ġcame Ġto Ġuse Ġthe Ġsame Ġemblem Ġglyph Ġ; Ġthe Ġrulers Ġof Ġthe Ġcity Ġpresumably Ġwanted Ġto Ġdistinguish Ġthemselves Ġas Ġthe Ġfirst Ġcity Ġto Ġbear Ġthe Ġname Ġ. ĠThe Ġkingdom Ġas Ġa Ġwhole Ġwas Ġsimply Ġcalled ĠMut ul Ġ, Ġwhich Ġis Ġthe Ġreading Ġof Ġthe Ġ" Ġhair Ġbundle Ġ" Ġemblem Ġglyph Ġseen Ġin Ġthe Ġaccompanying Ġphoto Ġ. ĠIts Ġprecise Ġmeaning Ġremains Ġobscure Ġ. Ġ Ġ Ġ= Ġ= ĠLocation Ġ= Ġ= Ġ Ġ ĠThe Ġclosest Ġlarge Ġmodern Ġsettlements Ġare ĠFlores Ġand ĠSanta ĠElena Ġ, Ġapproximately Ġ64 Ġkilometres Ġ( Ġ40 Ġmi Ġ) Ġby Ġroad Ġto Ġthe Ġsouthwest Ġ. ĠTik al Ġis Ġapproximately Ġ303 Ġkilometres Ġ( Ġ188 Ġmi Ġ) Ġnorth Ġof ĠGuatemala ĠCity Ġ. ĠIt Ġis Ġ19 Ġkilometres Ġ( Ġ12 Ġmi Ġ) Ġsouth Ġof Ġthe Ġcontemporary ĠMaya Ġcity Ġof ĠU ax act un Ġand Ġ30 Ġkilometres Ġ( Ġ19 Ġmi Ġ) Ġnorthwest Ġof ĠY ax ha Ġ. ĠThe Ġcity Ġwas Ġlocated Ġ100 Ġkilometres Ġ( Ġ62 Ġmi Ġ) Ġsoutheast Ġof Ġits Ġgreat ĠClassic ĠPeriod Ġrival Ġ, ĠCal ak m ul Ġ, Ġand Ġ85 Ġkilometres Ġ( Ġ53 Ġmi Ġ) Ġnorthwest Ġof ĠCal ak m ul Ġ' s Ġally ĠCar ac ol Ġ, Ġnow Ġin ĠBel ize Ġ. Ġ Ġ ĠThe Ġcity Ġhas Ġbeen Ġcompletely Ġmapped Ġand Ġcovered Ġan Ġarea Ġgreater Ġthan Ġ16 Ġsquare Ġkilometres Ġ( Ġ6 Ġ@ . @ Ġ2 Ġsq Ġmi Ġ) Ġthat Ġincluded Ġabout Ġ3 Ġ@ , @ Ġ000 Ġstructures Ġ. ĠThe Ġtop ography Ġof Ġthe Ġsite Ġconsists Ġof Ġa Ġseries Ġof Ġparallel Ġlimestone Ġrid ges Ġrising Ġabove Ġswamp y Ġlow lands Ġ. ĠThe Ġmajor Ġarchitecture Ġof Ġthe Ġsite Ġis Ġclustered Ġupon Ġareas Ġof Ġhigher Ġground Ġand Ġlinked Ġby Ġraised Ġcause ways Ġspanning Ġthe Ġsw amps Ġ. ĠThe Ġarea Ġaround ĠTik al Ġhas Ġbeen Ġdeclared Ġas Ġthe ĠTik al ĠNational ĠPark Ġand Ġthe Ġpreserved Ġarea Ġcovers Ġ570 Ġsquare Ġkilometres Ġ( Ġ220 Ġsq Ġmi Ġ) Ġ. Ġ Ġ ĠThe Ġruins Ġlie Ġamong Ġthe Ġtropical Ġrain fore sts Ġof Ġnorthern ĠGuatemala Ġthat Ġformed Ġthe Ġcradle Ġof Ġlow land ĠMaya Ġcivilization Ġ. ĠThe Ġcity Ġitself Ġwas Ġlocated Ġamong Ġabundant Ġfertile Ġupl and Ġsoils Ġ, Ġand Ġmay Ġhave Ġdominated Ġa Ġnatural Ġeast ĠâĢĵ Ġwest Ġtrade Ġroute Ġacross Ġthe ĠY uc atan ĠPeninsula Ġ. ĠCons pic uous Ġtrees Ġat Ġthe ĠTik al Ġpark Ġinclude Ġgigantic Ġk ap ok Ġ( ĠCe iba Ġpent andra Ġ) Ġthe Ġsacred Ġtree Ġof Ġthe ĠMaya Ġ; Ġtropical Ġc edar Ġ( ĠCed rel a Ġodor ata Ġ) Ġ, Ġand ĠHonduras Ġmah og any Ġ( ĠSw iet en ia Ġmacro phy lla Ġ) Ġ. ĠRegarding Ġthe Ġf auna Ġ, Ġag out i Ġ, Ġwhite Ġ@ - @ Ġn osed Ġcoat is Ġ, Ġgray Ġfox es Ġ, ĠGeoff roy Ġ' s Ġspider Ġmonkeys Ġ, Ġhow ler Ġmonkeys Ġ, Ġhar py Ġe agles Ġ, Ġfal cons Ġ, Ġo cell ated Ġtur keys Ġ, Ġgu ans Ġ, Ġtou c ans Ġ, Ġgreen Ġpar rots Ġand Ġleaf cut ter Ġants Ġcan Ġbe Ġseen Ġthere Ġregularly Ġ. ĠJaguars Ġ, Ġj agu ar und is Ġ, Ġand Ġcou gars Ġare Ġalso Ġsaid Ġto Ġroam Ġin Ġthe Ġpark Ġ. ĠFor Ġcenturies Ġthis Ġcity Ġwas Ġcompletely Ġcovered Ġunder Ġjungle Ġ. ĠThe Ġaverage Ġannual Ġrainfall Ġat ĠTik al Ġis Ġ1 Ġ@ , @ Ġ9 45 Ġmill imet res Ġ( Ġ76 Ġ@ . @ Ġ6 Ġin Ġ) Ġ. Ġ Ġ ĠOne Ġof Ġthe Ġlargest Ġof Ġthe ĠClassic ĠMaya Ġcities Ġ, ĠTik al Ġhad Ġno Ġwater Ġother Ġthan Ġwhat Ġwas Ġcollected Ġfrom Ġrain water Ġand Ġstored Ġin Ġten Ġreservoirs Ġ. ĠArchae ologists Ġworking Ġin ĠTik al Ġduring Ġthe Ġ20 th Ġcentury Ġrefurb ished Ġone Ġof Ġthese Ġancient Ġreservoirs Ġto Ġstore Ġwater Ġfor Ġtheir Ġown Ġuse Ġ. Ġ Ġ ĠThe ĠTik al ĠNational ĠPark Ġcovers Ġan Ġarea Ġof Ġ5 75 Ġ@ . @ Ġ83 Ġsquare Ġkilometres Ġ( Ġ222 Ġ@ . @ Ġ33 Ġsq Ġmi Ġ) Ġ. ĠIt Ġwas Ġcreated Ġon Ġ26 ĠMay Ġ1955 Ġunder Ġthe Ġausp ices Ġof Ġthe ĠInstit uto Ġde ĠAnt rop olog ÃŃa Ġe ĠHist oria Ġand Ġwas Ġthe Ġfirst Ġprotected Ġarea Ġin ĠGuatemala Ġ. Ġ Ġ Ġ= Ġ= ĠPopulation Ġ= Ġ= Ġ Ġ ĠPopulation Ġestimates Ġfor ĠTik al Ġvary Ġfrom Ġ10 Ġ@ , @ Ġ000 Ġto Ġas Ġhigh Ġas Ġ90 Ġ@ , @ Ġ000 Ġinhabitants Ġ, Ġwith Ġthe Ġmost Ġlikely Ġfigure Ġbeing Ġat Ġthe Ġupper Ġend Ġof Ġthis Ġrange Ġ. Ġ Ġ ĠThe Ġpopulation Ġof ĠTik al Ġbegan Ġa Ġcontinuous Ġcurve Ġof Ġgrowth Ġstarting Ġin Ġthe ĠPre classic ĠPeriod Ġ( Ġapproximately Ġ2000 ĠBC ĠâĢĵ ĠAD Ġ200 Ġ) Ġ, Ġwith Ġa Ġpeak Ġin Ġthe ĠLate ĠClassic Ġwith Ġthe Ġpopulation Ġgrowing Ġrapidly Ġfrom ĠAD Ġ700 Ġthrough Ġto Ġ8 30 Ġ, Ġfollowed Ġby Ġa Ġsharp Ġdecline Ġ. ĠFor Ġthe Ġ120 Ġsquare Ġkilometres Ġ( Ġ46 Ġsq Ġmi Ġ) Ġarea Ġfalling Ġwithin Ġthe Ġearth work Ġdefenses Ġof Ġthe Ġh inter land Ġ, Ġthe Ġpeak Ġpopulation Ġis Ġestimated Ġat Ġ5 17 Ġper Ġsquare Ġkilomet er Ġ( Ġ13 40 Ġper Ġsquare Ġmile Ġ) Ġ. ĠIn Ġan Ġarea Ġwithin Ġa Ġ12 Ġkilometres Ġ( Ġ7 Ġ@ . @ Ġ5 Ġmi Ġ) Ġradius Ġof Ġthe Ġsite Ġcore Ġ, Ġpeak Ġpopulation Ġis Ġestimated Ġat Ġ120 Ġ@ , @ Ġ000 Ġ; Ġpopulation Ġdensity Ġis Ġestimated Ġat Ġ265 Ġper Ġsquare Ġkilomet er Ġ( Ġ6 89 Ġper Ġsquare Ġmile Ġ) Ġ. ĠIn Ġa Ġregion Ġwithin Ġa Ġ25 Ġkilometres Ġ( Ġ16 Ġmi Ġ) Ġradius Ġof Ġthe Ġsite Ġcore Ġand Ġincluding Ġsome Ġsatellite Ġsites Ġ, Ġpeak Ġpopulation Ġis Ġestimated Ġat Ġ425 Ġ@ , @ Ġ000 Ġwith Ġa Ġdensity Ġof Ġ216 Ġper Ġsquare Ġkilomet er Ġ( Ġ5 15 Ġper Ġsquare Ġmile Ġ) Ġ. ĠThese Ġpopulation Ġfigures Ġare Ġeven Ġmore Ġimpressive Ġbecause Ġof Ġthe Ġextensive Ġsw am pl ands Ġthat Ġwere Ġunsu itable Ġfor Ġhabit ation Ġor Ġagriculture Ġ. ĠHowever Ġ, Ġsome Ġarchaeologists Ġ, Ġsuch Ġas ĠDavid ĠWebster Ġ, Ġbelieve Ġthese Ġfigures Ġto Ġbe Ġfar Ġtoo Ġhigh Ġ. Ġ Ġ Ġ= Ġ= ĠR ul ers Ġ= Ġ= Ġ Ġ ĠThe Ġdyn astic Ġline Ġof ĠTik al Ġ, Ġfounded Ġas Ġearly Ġas Ġthe Ġ1 st Ġcentury ĠAD Ġ, Ġsp anned Ġ800 Ġyears Ġand Ġincluded Ġat Ġleast Ġ33 Ġrulers Ġ. Ġ Ġ Ġ= Ġ= ĠHistory Ġ= Ġ= Ġ Ġ Ġ= Ġ= Ġ= ĠPre classic Ġ= Ġ= Ġ= Ġ Ġ ĠThere Ġare Ġtraces Ġof Ġearly Ġagriculture