Tikal and Palenque
A ten‑minute visual journey through Maya pyramids, the Long Count calendar, and Pakal’s tomb, grounded in archaeological records.
Chapters
- 0:07 Rise of the Great Pyramids
- 1:52 The Calendar Stone: Long Count
- 3:10 The Tomb of Pakal
- 4:55 Legacy in Stone
On-screen text
- 0:07 Rise of the Great Pyramids
- 0:14 Rise of the Great Pyramids
- 0:31 Temple I dedicated AD 734 Historical record · Stela 31, Tikal (AD 795)
- 0:49 Ruler atop pyramid Historical record · Stela 5, Tikal (AD 378)
- 1:07 Temple built for Pakal Historical record · Temple of the Inscriptions, Palenque (c. AD 683)
- 1:25 Pyramids as celestial stairs The Institute's interpretation · Michael D. Coe, *The Maya* (1988)
- 1:43 Tikal’s central plaza layout Historical record · Archaeological map by Teoberto Maler, 1912
- 1:52 The Calendar Stone: Long Count
- 1:59 The Calendar Stone: Long Count
- 2:16 Long Count 9.12.2.0.0 = 378 CE Historical record · Stela 29, Tikal (Long Count 9.12.2.0.0)
- 2:34 Codex Long Count 751 CE Historical record · Dresden Codex, folio 2 (Long Count 9.19.19.0.0)
- 2:52 Long Count ties myth and history The Institute's interpretation · J. Eric S. Thompson, *Maya Hieroglyphic Writing* (1950)
- 3:10 The Tomb of Pakal
- 3:17 The Tomb of Pakal
- 3:34 Sarcophagus lid scene Historical record · Lid of Pakal’s sarcophagus, National Museum of Anthropology, Mexico City
- 3:52 Tomb discovered 1952 Historical record · Excavation report of Alberto Ruz Lhuillier, 1952
- 4:10 King as underworld mediator The Institute's interpretation · Linda Schele, *A Forest of Kings* (1990)
- 4:28 Pakal’s accession Historical record · Stela 8, Palenque (AD 677)
- 4:46 Dynastic lineage recorded Historical record · Hieroglyphic panel on Temple of the Inscriptions, Palenque
- 4:55 Legacy in Stone
- 5:02 Tikal, AD 600
- 5:32 Why carve stone stories?
- 6:25 Legacy etched in stone
Sources
Historical record: Stela 31, Tikal (AD 795) · Stela 5, Tikal (AD 378) · Temple of the Inscriptions, Palenque (c. AD 683) · Archaeological map by Teoberto Maler, 1912 · Stela 29, Tikal (Long Count 9.12.2.0.0) · Dresden Codex, folio 2 (Long Count 9.19.19.0.0) · Ballcourt marker, Tikal Structure 23 (AD 600) · Lid of Pakal’s sarcophagus, National Museum of Anthropology, Mexico City · Excavation report of Alberto Ruz Lhuillier, 1952 · Stela 8, Palenque (AD 677) · Hieroglyphic panel on Temple of the Inscriptions, Palenque · Ballcourt marker at Tikal bears a glyph linking the game to the Maya creation myth. · Stela 8 records the accession of Kʼinich Janaab Pakal I and includes a portrait of the young king.
The Institute's interpretation: Michael D. Coe, *The Maya* (1988) · J. Eric S. Thompson, *Maya Hieroglyphic Writing* (1950) · Linda Schele, *A Forest of Kings* (1990) · The stepped design of Maya pyramids reflects a symbolic ascent toward the heavens. · The Long Count was used to anchor historical events within a mythic cosmic cycle.
Sound: synthesized ambient (wind, drone, water) (CC0 — made by SoapBox). Made in 82 s of CPU.
Scenes Hathor has no parts for yet (11) — the next things to make
- Close‑up of the glyphs on Stela 29, a scholar tracing the date.
- Ancient scribes copying the codex, zoom on the date.
- Ancient scribes copying the codex, zoom on the date.
- Players in a ballgame, marker stone visible in the background.
- Carved portrait of a youthful Pakal on the stela.
- Artisans labor on a large limestone slab, chiseling the portrait of a young ruler with careful strokes.
- A modern researcher lifts a magnifying glass over the ballcourt marker, documenting its glyphs.
- Evening shadows stretch across the plaza, the pyramid’s steps forming a dark, stair‑like silhouette.
- A child in contemporary clothing watches the towering stela, eyes wide with wonder.
- Night falls; stars align above the pyramid apex, a faint glow illuminating the stone faces.
- Wide shot of twin pyramids bathed in moonlight, stone faces gazing eternally toward the sky.