Tikal is the ruin of an ancient city, which was likely to have been called Yax Mutal, found in a Guatemala rainforest. It is one of the largest archaeological sites and urban centers of the pre-Columbian Maya civilization. UNESCO declared the site a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1979. Tikal was one of the most powerful kingdoms of the ancient Maya.
Some monumental architecture dates back as far as the 4th century BC, but Tikal was most powerful in the Classic Period, c. 200 to 900 CE.
