Tikal is one of the largest Mayan sites in the “Mundo Maya” which extends through Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, and Honduras. Tikal was once a city of 90,000 people and flourished during the “Classical” period of Mayan civilization from 200-900 C.E. Much of the city has been carved out and restored from the jungle, including the main square, where you can see many carved steles and the Temple of the Jaguar. The Mayas generally set their temples to be shown off best at dawn and sunset. The Jaguar temple glows golden in the last minutes before the sun sets.
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When I see a building glowing in the sunset, I always want to stare to see it in the “emerald flash.”
Hope springs eternal…
The other cool thing about this, and several other Mayan temples is the bird call you get echoed back when you clap loudly in front of it. I wonder how the hell the Mayas did this. Works at the main pyramid at Chichén Itzá, too.