Tikal was one of the major cultural and population
centers of the Maya civilization.
Monumental architecture was built here
as early as the 4th century BC.
The city was at its height in the Maya
Classic Period, approximately 200 AD to 850 AD.
The site was abandoned by the end of the 10th century.
Scholars estimate that at its peak population was between 100,000 -- 200,000.