Central Acropolis, Tikal

The Central Acropolis seen across the Great Plaza

The Central Acropolis of the ancient Maya city of Tikal is an architectural complex located immediately to the south of the Great Plaza. The complex served dual administrative and residential purposes.^[1] The Central Acropolis was first established in the Late Preclassic period (c. 350 BC – 250 AD) of Mesoamerican chronology.^[2]

From its earliest period of use, the eastern portion of what later became the Central Acropolis was used as a royal residence, and by the Early Classic period (c. 250 – 550 AD) it was the location of an important residential palace complex. The inhabitants of Tikal levelled out the natural bedrock underlying the Central Acropolis at 253 metres (830 ft) above mean sea level, a few meters above the level of the Great Plaza. The bedrock drops off steeply to the east and south of the acropolis.^[2]

The Central Acropolis is oriented east-west, and this orientation was established very early in its history. As the complex developed over time, it expanded upwards with the superposition of new architecture, rather than outwards to cover a greater area.^[2] The palace structures in the acropolis are arranged around a series of courtyards.^[3]

Notes

1. Harrison 2001, p. 200.
2. Harrison 2001, p. 201.
3. Coe and Haviland 1982, p. 17.

References

Coe, William R.; and William A. Haviland (1982). Introduction to the Archaeology of Tikal, Guatemala. Tikal Report No. 12. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, US: University of Pennsylvania Press. ISBN 0-934718-43-1. OCLC 876045079.

Harrison, Peter D. (2001). J.P. Laporte, A. C. Suasnávar and B. Arroyo, eds. "Poder centralizado en Tikal: El crecimiento de la Acrópolis Central." [Centralised power in Tikal: The growth of the Central Acropolis] (PDF). Simposio de Investigaciones Arqueológicas en Guatemala (in Spanish) (Guatemala City, Guatemala: Museo Nacional de Arqueología y Etnología). XIV (2000): 200–209. Retrieved 2016-05-05. (Spanish)