Temple IV

You are at the foot of the tallest structure the Maya ever built: Temple IV, about 70 metres high. It was raised by Yik'in Chan K'awiil around the year 741, the same king who built Temple I for his father.

Climb the wooden stairs to the upper platform. From the top you will see the roof combs of Temples I, II, III and V rising from the green sea of the jungle. It is the most famous view of Tikal and one of the most famous in all the Americas.

The sapodilla-wood lintels that covered the temple doorways were carved with scenes of the king. Two of them have been kept at the Museum of Cultures in Basel, Switzerland, since 1877. On one of them, Yik'in sits beneath a huge celestial serpent, celebrating a victory of the year 743.

The forest you see is the Maya Biosphere Reserve, the largest protected area in Central America. Listen: the roars coming from the trees are howler monkeys, and with luck you will see spider monkeys, toucans, ocellated turkeys and coatis.

In 1977 this lookout appeared in a very famous film: the rebel base scene in Star Wars was shot from here, with the temples looking as if they belonged to another planet.

In the 3D view you can see the whole pyramid with its roof comb, and with the Year 750 mode recover the red colour that once covered it. Next stop: Mundo Perdido, ten minutes to the south.