Tikal Temple 33, Funerary pyramid in Tikal, Guatemala.
Temple 33 was a 33-meter-tall stepped pyramid in Tikal's North Acropolis featuring a central stairway framed by detailed stucco masks. The structure contained interior chambers that served ceremonial purposes and showed careful planning in its construction.
The structure was built as a burial shrine for a ruler and underwent multiple construction phases spanning two centuries. These repeated building projects show how successive rulers continued to expand and maintain the site as a major ritual center.
The temple blended architectural elements from both Maya and Teotihuacan traditions in its design and construction methods. This mixing of styles shows the cultural connections that existed between these two distant civilizations.
The pyramid is not directly accessible to visitors because archaeologists disassembled it in 1965 to study its construction in detail. You can still walk through Tikal's grounds and see other buildings in the North Acropolis to understand the area's architectural development.
An important carved stone panel called Stela 31 was discovered in this temple and ranks among the most informative Maya monuments ever found. This panel reveals crucial details about royal families and trade routes that connected distant cities.
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