Ep. 43 - Tikal, Guatemala
Episode 43 just so happens to be one of the best preserved cities of the ancient Mayan civilization and also the base of Rebel forces from the 4th Star Wars movie. Needless to say, it’s got a lot going on! Join us on a journey through time and space to Tikal, Guatemala.
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Transcription:
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Hey there, you’re listening to The Friday Take Five, the best five minute podcast for history and adventure. I'm Mark, the host of this show, and we’re on our 43rd episode. Another episode is another opportunity to jump in and discover a new destination along with its awesome history. Like always, I’m gonna do what I can to scratch an itch for the travel bugs and history lovers giving us a listen. If I have you walking away from today’s episode with a renewed appreciation for history, or a new travel destination added to the bucket list, then I’ve done something right. Without further ado… Episode 43.
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Star Wars fans ought to appreciate our 43rd destination as it’s one of the film locations for the first installment in the original trilogy, A New Hope. The film location is Tikal, Guatemala, which in the movie is known as the Jungle Moon of Yavin 4 and the original base of the rebel forces.
I use the term film location a bit liberally here, in the sense that the shots from Tikal last a grand total of roughly 20 seconds on screen, but those shots are nothing short of beautiful. In them, the Millenium Falcon can be seen flying in and out of the rebel station over the jungle and ancient Mayan ruins.
The location also had a short few second stint on the 1979 Bond film, Moonraker, which momentarily showcases a grand temple of the city.
So what the heck is Tikal and why is it on my bucket list?
Tikal is the ruin of an ancient city in the Guatemalan rainforest, and it’s one of the largest and best preserved cities of the entire ancient Mayan civilization.
As far back as 1000 BC, the Mayan presence in the area began to take hold, but it would be a few hundred years before construction of the major buildings would take place in earnest, but by 300 BC, things had really taken off. By this time, the major buildings of Tikal had been constructed.
In the first century AD, the influence of the city had begun to expand from a political and economic standpoint, and the city had taken the name of Yax Mutal, in honor of the ruler of the larger lowland area of the Mayan empire that made the city the seat of his rule.
That ruler, Yax Ehb Xook, is believed to have ordered the construction of the city’s central Acropolis, which would have housed the royalty of the city. The ruins of this acropolis are still standing thousands of years later.
Now, for those of you that might be thinking… Ooooo big deal, a few broken down buildings so what? The ruins of this city include over 3,000 structures, spread out over 6 square mi or roughly 16 square km. It truly is one of the largest sets of ruins on the planet today and I can’t wait to get here to check it out for myself.
Unfortunately, like many cool things out there, Tikal came to an end. With the collapse of the Mayan empire in the 10th century, Tikal was largely abandoned. It would sit largely unnoticed until the Spanish finally came across it again when they re-explored the area in the 1800s. By the time the 1950’s rolled around, American researchers in partnership with the Guatemalan government helped uncover and restore many of the structures we’re now able to see today. But still, 70 years later the work continues. Guatemalan archeologists are hard at work to map out and excavate areas where much of the original population lived. Exciting things ahead!
Now, there’s so much more I want to see and experience in Guatemala, but Tikal was a must hit for the podcast. We’ll be sure to come back and highlight some of the other great gems within the country before too long, so, no worries on that front, but we are coming up on our time today.
I can’t wait to make it out to the amazing ruins of Tikal, and I hope after today’s episode, you’re considering getting it on your list too. That’s all for this week folks. We’ll see ya soon.
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Hey there! Thanks for going on another adventure with me in episode 43. If you haven’t already, be sure to give the show a 5 star rating on podcasting platforms, and share this episode with a friend. Have your own stories about Tikal, feedback on the show or suggestions on new episodes? I’d love to hear it so follow me and DM me on socials @FridayTakeFive or email me at thefridaytakefive@gmail.com. Stay curious, stay adventuring, and have a great weekend!
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