Mundo Perdido

This is the oldest place in Tikal. The Mundo Perdido complex began to be built around 700 BC, when the Great Plaza did not yet exist. The Great Pyramid in front of you, about 30 metres tall, was rebuilt several times on top of earlier versions.

Notice its shape: it has staircases on all four sides, not just one. It is a radial pyramid, and it was not a temple to climb to a shrine, but an observation point.

Look east. The long platform with three small temples is the other half of the instrument. From the top of the pyramid, the Sun rises behind the central temple at the equinoxes of March and September, behind the northern temple at the June solstice, and behind the southern temple at the December solstice.

With that stone calendar the priests marked planting, rains and festivals. This kind of complex, called an E Group, appears in many Maya cities, but the one at Tikal is among the oldest known.

Beneath the floor of this complex, tombs and offerings have been found from the time when Tikal was barely a village. When the city grew, power moved to the Great Plaza, but Mundo Perdido remained a sacred place for a thousand years.

In the 3D view, move the calendar slider to see where the Sun rises on each date of the year and how it aligns with the temples. This completes the Tikal route. Stamp your passport and share your postcard.