Tikal Temple VI facts for kids
Tikal Temple VI, also known as the Temple of the Inscriptions, is an ancient pyramid built by the Maya people. You can find it in the ruins of the large Maya city of Tikal, located in northern Guatemala. This impressive structure sits at the end of the Mendez Causeway, a path that connects the temple area to the main part of the city.
Temple VI faces west towards a walled plaza. It was first discovered in 1951. The most special part of this temple is its roof comb. This is a tall, decorative wall on top of the roof. It is covered with long texts written in Maya hieroglyphs.
The top part of the pyramid has two rooms inside. The highest part of the roof comb still stands about 12 meters (40 feet) tall. You can enter the pyramid's top section through three doorways that face west. Because of these three doorways and the way the rooms are set up, some experts think Temple VI might have been more like a palace than a traditional temple.
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The Hieroglyphic Inscription
The long text carved into the roof comb of Temple VI tells a story. It shares the history of Tikal, going back to a very early time called the Preclassic period. The oldest date mentioned in the text is from 1139 BC. This date might describe a legendary event when the city was founded, or perhaps a very old and important historical event that people remembered for a long time.
Important Stone Monuments
Near the bottom of Temple VI, you can find two important stone monuments: Stela 21 and Altar 9.
Stela 21
Stela 21 is a tall, carved stone slab that was placed at the foot of Temple VI. This stela tells us about a king named Yik'in Chan K'awiil becoming ruler in AD 734. When it was found, the stela had fallen over, but it was set back up during restoration work. Only the bottom part of the stela remains today.
Some carvings are still visible on the left side of the front of the monument. These carvings are very well made and record a date from AD 736. Interestingly, a piece of this stela was later used by local people to make a metate. A metate is a stone tool used for grinding corn or other foods. This piece was found about 0.3 kilometers (0.19 miles) northwest of the temple.
Altar 9
Altar 9 is a flat stone altar that sits next to Stela 21 at the base of the pyramid steps. This altar is quite damaged, and many large pieces are missing. The top surface of the altar once showed the image of a captive person lying face down and tied up.
Images for kids
See also
In Spanish: Templo de Tikal VI para niños
