THE MAYANS

Piramida Maya ditemukan dari Amerika Tengah sampai ke pulau Jawa Indonesia. Piramida
Sukuh, di lereng Gunung Lawu di dekat Surakarta di Jawa Tengah adalah sebuah kuil yang
menakjubkan dengan stelae batu dan piramida yang cocok dengan apa yg ditemukan di Amerika
Tengah. Piramida sebenarnya hampir identik dengan piramida yang ditemukan di situs Maya
kuno di Uaxactun, dekat Tikal.

Bangsa Maya kuno adalah ahli dalam astronom dan matematika yang brilian. Mereka
membangun kanal dan pembangunan kota taman hidroponik di seluruh semenanjung Yucatan
kuno. Beberapa glyph Maya diduga memiliki alat kontrol radionic, yang berfungsi untuk
mengatasi hama.

Hal ini diyakini bahwa Ruang Rekam histori Kuno berada di suatu tempat di kawasan Maya,
mungkin di bawah sebuah kompleks piramida yang ada, dalam sebuah terowongan bawah tanah
dan sistem ruang. Beberapa sumber mengatakan bahwa repositori ini dari pengetahuan kuno ini
disimpan dalam kristal kuarsa yang berkualitas luar biasa dan mampu menampung sejumlah
besar informasi dalam cara yang sama seperti pada CD modern. (canggih banget gan..
he ancient Mayan civilization was one of the most fascinating and influential cultures in
our world’s history. Factors that make it so interesting are the culture’s curious
sophistication and its sudden demise. Lying in the tropical forest of Central America,
Mayan cities were vast creations encompassing a complex society far ahead of its time.
From 300 to 800 of the Christian Era these cities flourished in a state of extensive
scientific and artistic enlightenment. Despite all their progress, the Mayans never got
past the stone age. Mayans can probably be credited with the first manufacture of
rubber and being the first group to cultivate cacao, papaya, and the aguacate or
avocado pear. They were in possession of a complicated number and calendar system
but never developed a phonetic alphabet or discovered the wheel.

Historical records suggest that after centuries of glory the Mayan people fled
their cities for no apparent reason and left their world to fall to ruin. By the time the
Spaniards discovered these cities hundreds of years later, all that left were the remnants
of this great civilization. Most of what we know about the Mayan Empire has been
discovered in archeological excavations and interpretations of hieroglyphics. From
these we have at least a superficial knowledge of this society of the past. In this section
of our paper, we will present you with a brief history of the Mayan past and then focus
on the modern Maya.

The Mayan region was by no means homogenous in culture or in the distribution

of natural resources. While historical data suggests that the ancestral Mayan stock
started in a particular highland region of Central America, consequent dispersal led to
the formation of many differentiated groups in different areas. These groups often
interacted with each other through trade because of the need for resources. Various
groups often followed the same system of agriculture and worshiped the same tribal
gods. However, each tribe still had its own specific culture and style. The most
important region of the Mayan Empire and the area of our interest where the famous
civilization reached its maximum height is located in the tropical forest-clad lowlands.
Tikal is only one of the many great cities in this area that produced the most intricate
architecture and abundant hieroglyphics.

It is very interesting that the cultural peak of the empire was reached in an area
covered with dense forest which man had to fight with nothing but stone tools and fire.
The Maya in this lowland area were active traders and farmers of beans and maize and
succeeded to clear the forest through the practice of cutting and burning for planting.
Other sustenance stemmed from trading cacao, jade, and other specialties. The
principle medium of currency was the cacao bean. This was ideal because when the
value of the cacao dropped due to overproduction, the Mayans simply took more beans
out of circulation for chocolate production. The Mayan city-states thrived as hubs of
commerce and the people were able to establish themselves in this unfriendly natural
environment.

Mayan art and scientific realizations have made a lasting impression on modern
mankind. Achievements in art can be witnessed in sculptures, the vestiges of Mayan
paintings, and the beauty of their pottery, stone, and jade preserved in altars and
historical monuments. Much of Mayan art is distinctly different from European art and
is easily recognizable. The architecture of terraced pyramids and the detailed planning
of their cities such as Tikal also give notice to the Maya’s great accomplishments. The
Mayans were special in that they used engineering skill in their building. While other
indigenous groups built by setting one stone on top of the other, the Mayans took into
consideration factors such as stress and strain.

Scientifically, the Mayans were more progressive than any other civilization in
this time period and advanced far beyond their own personal needs. The calendar
system the Mayans invented allowed them to plot time for the next 400 million years
and predict occurrences such as the movements of the planets and the eclipses of the
sun and the moon to the nearest second. The Mayans calculated the days in the year to
add up to 365.2420 days compared to our actual value of 365.2422. Their number
system allowed them to make sums up into the millions and comprehend the concept of
zero ahead of any other culture.

Considering that the Mayan Empire was stuck in the stone age, the building of
pyramids and temples must have taken teamwork and an abundance of patience. With
the average Mayan lifetime being only thirty years, close cooperation between
astronomers and generations must have also existed to achieve such accurate
measurements and observations. Various religious ceremonies and dances probably
also helped to build stable communities.

The last three centuries of this empire’s existence consisted of an increase in the
abundance and elaborate detail of art and building in these communities. This all
ended very suddenly and without any obvious explanation. One by one, life in the
cities ceased as no more monuments were erected and no more temples were built. In
many cases, work was actually stopped before completion which suggests the deed of a
sudden catastrophe. Several speculations have been made as to what caused the
collapse of the Mayan civilization but discrepancies have been found in each
hypothesis. Certain people have tried to blame disease but epidemics such as malaria
and yellow fever were only introduced with the Spanish. Others criticize the Mayan
agriculture procedure of cutting and burning the forest and suggest a lack of food as the
reason for the culture’s end. Good soil fertility found at one of the first cities to stop
functioning helps to refute this explanation.

The theory that makes the most sense to historian, J. Eric S. Thompson, is that the
cities were not actually abandoned with the end of cultural activities. Excavation has
shown that burials and sacrifices were still made in cities even after building had
stopped. Most likely a series of peasant revolts against the upper class of priests and
nobles was the cause of the empire’s demise. As the demand for labor in construction
and food production grew at the peak of the civilization, the underclass probably
rebelled and drove out or killed the ruling group. This would explain the abrupt
cessation of art and monument erection, along with the continuation of religious
ceremonies. The buildings presumably slowly began to deteriorate with the peasants
half-heartedly tried to keep their cities in shape and failing.

Present
The modern day Maya still live within the boundaries of their old empire in
Central America. The region that makes up this area now consists of the countries of
Belize, Honduras, El Salvador, Guatemala, and five states in Mexico. Guatemala is
considered to be the birthplace of the Mayan civilization and consequently still has a
very active Mayan population. Tikal, often named the greatest Mayan city to ever exist,
lies in the northern part of the country near the border of Mexico. Of the approximately
six million Mayas left today, the majority live in Guatemala (July 1995 estimate).

Despite half a millennium of European dominance in this country, much of the

native and historical Maya tradition has remained with its people. When the Spaniards
arrived in Guatemala 500 years ago many of the indigenous people were living out in
recesses in mountainous areas. This kept them isolated from the many missionaries
eager to convert them to Catholicism and also allowed them to keep much of their own
culture. Despite the inevitable repression suffered due to the Spanish invasion, the
Mayans’ secret to keeping their Indian culture alive seems to be their adaptability.
Although the culture could not help but be influenced by the invaders, it managed to
keep many traditional foundations.

A very important part of this culture is associated with the Mayan language.
Although the language of the ruling minority (sixty percent of Guatemalans are of
Mayan descent) is Spanish and this is the official language, forty percent of the
approximately eleven million Guatemalan people today have managed to stay with an
Indian language. This category consists of twenty-three Mayan dialects that the
indigenous people use as their first language. Many of the Maya today speak Spanish
as a second language because of contact through trade and tourism, but remain native
dialect speakers.

Again in religion, the Maya have fought to keep much of their own tradition and
blended it with Spanish influences. The result is that the Maya have their own brand of
Christianity which consists of characteristics of old tribal religions and Roman
Catholicism. One can for example often see Catholic Maya performing ceremonies that
have obvious characteristics of shaman rituals. Chicken sacrifices and food offerings
are witnessed in some churches. In addition, some Mayans still worship old deities like
the corn god for good luck with the harvest.

Other things have also remained the same. The majority (more than sixty
percent) of the Mayan people work in agriculture. The main crops are still beans and
corn; the fields are still prepared and cleared by cutting and burning as was done by the
ancient Mayans so long ago. Much of the traditional dress and weaving is also still
established custom.

However, only ten percent of the Guatemalan people live a totally Mayan
lifestyle compared to the sixty percent that have Mayan ancestors. Only two percent of
the Guatemalan population own as much as seventy percent of the land. As has been
true since the arrival of the Spanish, the people of Mayan descent lack basic human
rights. Despite the fact that Guatemala won its independence from Spain in 1821, the
Spanish invasion still greatly affects the indigenous people.

As of 1995, Guatemala had been involved in a thirty-some year civil war which
had led to more than 100,000 civilian deaths, and 40,000 civilian disappearances for
political reasons. Activists supporting the indigenous people had repeatedly been
threatened by death squads, military groups, and the police. Excavations of mass
graves are evidence of many of the atrocities that have gone on in the past decades and
that the government so painstakingly aimed to hide. Many Guatemalans fled to
neighboring countries such as Mexico and did not begin returning until 1993. Foreign
military aid, also from the United States, was sent to the Guatemalan government
during this period and in this way supported the horrible acts.

Much of the conflict dealt with indigenous rights and land distribution. Many
modern Maya live at or below the poverty level. The most fertile land of the country is
used for mass production of coffee and cotton which leaves the indigenous population
with the land scraps. The Maya are mainly used as a labor force to work on the main
plantations and are treated equal to slaves. During the civil war, Mayans had no
political representation and civil guerilla groups were feared by the government and
put down with force as were people suspected of being supporters.

In 1993 after negotiations to resolve the conflict, the first Guatemalan refugees
returned home. As late as October of 1995, the government had broken promises and
shot down families in a returned refugee camp. Peace Accords that ended the then
thirty-six year civil war were signed in December of 1996. Now that the internal conflict
is over the country needs to be put back together again. First of all, the many guerillas
need to be reintegrated into a Guatemalan society of which they have never been a part.
A second problem lies therein that many of the criminals of the war have been acquitted
of their crimes or are still not sure of being convicted. However on a positive note, the
guerillas now exist as a political party and the government is being pressured by the
country itself and by international powers to carry out its commitments to the Mayan
people.

The Mayan people once had an ancient civilization comparable to that of the
Greeks in the Old World. While the empire crumbled and no longer exists, its children
still inhabit Central America and have a heritage of great wealth. In Guatemala, this
heritage has been repressed and beaten down and is hopefully now getting a chance to
stand on its own.

The World Heritage Center has established 582 cultural and natural sites in the world.
This is the result of the encouragement they’ve given to many countries, such as
Guatemala, to join the Convention and nominate sites within their territory for World
Heritage status. The nominating procedure can begin only if the country has joined the
World Heritage Convention and formed States parties. Then the World Heritage
Center will verify that the nomination is complete.

Within the Mayan Empire, UNESCO has named three sites to its World Heritage
list. The first, Antigua, is the capital of the Captaincy-General of Guatemala. It was
built in the sixteenth century on earthquake prone land high above sea level. An
earthquake in 1773 destroyed it, however many of its monumental structures remain
today. The second protects the Archaeological Park and Ruins of Quirigua which
contains many Mayan carved stele and sculpted calanders from the second century. A
closer examination of the final site, Tikal National Park, reveals the cultural and natural
themes UNESCO explores when assuming a site. For this paper, it will be used as a
case study of sorts to forther understand the intentions of the World Heratige group.
 Tikal National Park is in north-eastern Guatemala and is accessable by bus from
the nearest town of Santa Elena. Surrounded mostly by jungle and lush vegetation, it is
an area that has not been inhabited since the tenth century AD. For upto fourteen
hundred years prior to this it was a ceremonial center containing multiple temples,
palaces, and public squares. Some dwellings have been uncovered around the
surrounding countryside, but the main source of cultural interest is its ceremonial
structures. While it was declared a national park in 1955, it was not officially adopted
onto the World Heratige list until 1979.

This process of adoption can be attributed to The United Nations Educational,

Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). This is the main group behind the
World Heritage list who signed an international treaty called the “Convention” in 1972
to protect world heritage sites. Their stated mission is to “encourage the identification
protection and preservation of cultural and natural heritage around the world
considered to be of outstanding value to humanity”. There is an important difference
made between sites of natural merit and sites of cultural merit. Tikal National Park is
listed as a site of both.

The types of things that will qualify as a cultural heritage site include
monuments, groups of buildings, or sites. Monuments cover architectural structures,
sculpture, painting, archaeological objects, and things of general outstanding value
from an historical, art historical or scientific perspective. Groups of buildings that are
homogenous in nature such as dwellings meet the criteria, as do man made sites of
aesthetic or ethnologic interest. If the site falls under one of these three categories it
must then be determined that it represents a masterpiece of human creative genius,
exhibits an important interchange of human values, or bears a unique testimony to a
civilization which is living or has disappeared.

Tikal National Park meets these criteria because it is a ruined city of the Maya
Indians that reflects an important cultural development. Its land chronicles their
evolution from a community of hunters and gatherers to a sophisticated farming
people. Samples of cotton, tobacco, beans, pumpkins, peppers and a variety of fruits
have been recovered on the land. The park also evidences the intense devotion to
religion, the arts and science they pursued until their demise in the ninth century.
There are an astounding 3,000 buildings, such as temples, homes, and religious
monuments that date back to as early as the seventh century BC. Of further cultural
interest is the hieroglyphic writing found on many monuments and tombs.

In addition to all of this Tikal National Park qualifies as a site of natural heritage.
For a site to fall under this category it must have outstanding examples of either the
major geological stages of earth’s history or the development of ecological and
biological processes in earth’s history. If a site does not meet these criteria it can qualify
if it is deemed a place of exceptional natural beauty or if it contains important natural
habitats for biological conservation. Tikal National Park meets all of these due to the
sheer amount of land in the park. In its nearly 60,000 acres one can find a sedimentary
basin with deposits from the Mesozoic and Tertiary periods and what is considered to
be the most extensive wetland system in central America. One can also find over
22,000 acres of rain forest that boast West Indian mahogony, cedar, and palm trees and
over 2,000 plant species. Present day Mayans exploit the strong woods from the forest
for their fur

peradaban Maya kuno adalah salah satu budaya paling menarik dan berpengaruh dalam sejarah dunia
kita. Faktor-faktor yang membuatnya begitu menarik adalah kecanggihan budaya yang ingin tahu dan
kehancurannya yang tiba-tiba. Terletak di hutan tropis Amerika Tengah, kota-kota Maya adalah ciptaan
yang sangat luas yang mencakup masyarakat yang kompleks jauh di depan zamannya. Dari 300 hingga
800 Era Kristiani kota-kota ini berkembang dalam keadaan pencerahan ilmiah dan artistik yang luas.
Terlepas dari semua kemajuan mereka, bangsa Maya tidak pernah berhasil melewati zaman batu.
Bangsa Maya mungkin dapat dikreditkan dengan pembuatan karet pertama dan menjadi kelompok
pertama yang menanam coklat, pepaya, dan buah pir atau alpukat. Mereka memiliki nomor yang rumit
dan sistem kalender tetapi tidak pernah mengembangkan alfabet fonetik atau menemukan roda.

Catatan sejarah menunjukkan bahwa setelah berabad-abad kemuliaan orang-orang Maya melarikan diri
dari kota-kota mereka tanpa alasan yang jelas dan meninggalkan dunia mereka untuk jatuh ke
kehancuran. Pada saat orang-orang Spanyol menemukan kota-kota ini ratusan tahun kemudian, yang
tersisa adalah sisa-sisa peradaban besar ini. Sebagian besar dari apa yang kita ketahui tentang
Kekaisaran Maya telah ditemukan dalam penggalian arkeologi dan interpretasi hieroglif. Dari ini kita
memiliki setidaknya pengetahuan dangkal dari masyarakat masa lalu ini. Di bagian makalah ini, kami
akan menyajikan kepada Anda sejarah singkat masa lalu suku Maya dan kemudian berfokus pada Maya
modern.
            Wilayah Maya sama sekali tidak homogen dalam budaya atau dalam distribusi sumber daya alam.
Sementara data historis menunjukkan bahwa stok leluhur suku Maya dimulai di wilayah dataran tinggi
tertentu di Amerika Tengah, akibatnya penyebaran menyebabkan terbentuknya banyak kelompok yang
berbeda di berbagai bidang. Kelompok-kelompok ini sering berinteraksi satu sama lain melalui
perdagangan karena kebutuhan akan sumber daya. Berbagai kelompok sering mengikuti sistem
pertanian yang sama dan menyembah dewa suku yang sama. Namun, setiap suku masih memiliki
budaya dan gaya tersendiri. Wilayah yang paling penting dari Kekaisaran Maya dan wilayah yang
menjadi perhatian kami di mana peradaban terkenal mencapai ketinggian maksimum terletak di dataran
rendah hutan tropis. Tikal hanyalah salah satu dari banyak kota besar di daerah ini yang menghasilkan
arsitektur yang paling rumit dan hieroglif yang melimpah.

            Sangat menarik bahwa puncak budaya kekaisaran dicapai di daerah yang ditutupi dengan hutan
lebat yang mana manusia harus bertarung dengan apa-apa kecuali alat-alat batu dan api. Suku Maya di
daerah dataran rendah ini adalah pedagang aktif dan petani kacang dan jagung dan berhasil
membersihkan hutan melalui praktek penebangan dan pembakaran untuk penanaman. Makanan lain
berasal dari perdagangan coklat, batu giok, dan spesialisasi lainnya. Mata uang prinsip mata uang adalah
biji kakao. Ini sangat ideal karena ketika nilai kakao turun karena kelebihan produksi, orang-orang Maya
hanya mengambil lebih banyak kacang dari sirkulasi untuk produksi cokelat. Negara-negara kota Maya
berkembang sebagai pusat perdagangan dan orang-orang mampu membangun diri di lingkungan alam
yang tidak ramah ini.

            Seni Maya dan realisasi ilmiah telah membuat kesan abadi pada manusia modern. Prestasi dalam
seni dapat disaksikan dalam patung, sisa-sisa lukisan Maya, dan keindahan tembikar mereka, batu, dan
batu giok yang diawetkan di altar dan monumen bersejarah. Sebagian besar seni Maya jelas berbeda
dari seni Eropa dan mudah dikenali. Arsitektur piramida bertingkat dan perencanaan terperinci kota-
kota mereka seperti Tikal juga memberi perhatian pada pencapaian besar Maya. Bangsa Maya adalah
spesial karena mereka menggunakan keahlian teknik di gedung mereka. Sementara kelompok pribumi
lainnya dibangun dengan meletakkan satu batu di atas yang lain, bangsa Maya mempertimbangkan
faktor-faktor seperti stres dan ketegangan.

            Secara ilmiah, bangsa Maya lebih progresif daripada peradaban lain pada periode ini dan maju
jauh melampaui kebutuhan pribadi mereka sendiri. Sistem kalender yang diciptakan bangsa Maya
memungkinkan mereka untuk merencanakan waktu selama 400 juta tahun ke depan dan memprediksi
kejadian seperti pergerakan planet-planet dan gerhana matahari dan bulan ke detik terdekat. Bangsa
Maya menghitung hari dalam setahun untuk menambahkan hingga 365.2420 hari dibandingkan dengan
nilai aktual kami 365.2422. Sistem bilangan mereka memungkinkan mereka membuat jumlah jutaan dan
memahami konsep nol di depan budaya lain.

            Menimbang bahwa Kekaisaran Maya terjebak di zaman batu, pembangunan piramida dan kuil
pasti telah mengambil kerja tim dan kesabaran yang berlimpah. Dengan rata-rata umur Maya hanya 30
tahun, kerja sama yang erat antara astronom dan generasi pasti juga ada untuk mencapai pengukuran
dan pengamatan yang akurat. Berbagai upacara dan tarian keagamaan mungkin juga membantu
membangun komunitas yang stabil.

h Pusat Warisan Dunia telah membangun 582 situs budaya dan alam di dunia. Ini adalah hasil dari
dorongan yang telah mereka berikan ke banyak negara, seperti Guatemala, untuk bergabung dengan
Konvensi dan mencalonkan situs-situs di dalam wilayah mereka untuk status Warisan Dunia. Prosedur
pencalonan dapat dimulai hanya jika negara tersebut telah bergabung dengan Konvensi Warisan Dunia
dan membentuk Negara-negara Pihak. Kemudian Pusat Warisan Dunia akan memverifikasi bahwa
pencalonannya sudah selesai.

             Dalam Kekaisaran Maya, UNESCO telah menamai tiga situs ke daftar Warisan Dunia. Yang
pertama, Antigua, adalah ibu kota Kapten-Jenderal Guatemala. Dibangun pada abad keenam belas di
tanah rawan gempa tinggi di atas permukaan laut. Gempa tahun 1773 menghancurkannya, betapapun
banyak struktur monumentalnya masih ada sampai sekarang. Yang kedua melindungi Taman Arkeologi
dan Reruntuhan Quirigua yang berisi banyak ukiran ukiran Maya dan sculpted calanders dari abad
kedua. Pemeriksaan lebih dekat dari situs akhir, Taman Nasional Tikal, mengungkapkan tema budaya
dan alam yang dieksplorasi UNESCO ketika mengasumsikan sebuah situs. Untuk tulisan ini, ini akan
digunakan sebagai studi kasus macam untuk forther memahami maksud dari kelompok World Heratige.

            Taman Nasional Tikal terletak di timur laut Guatemala dan dapat diakses dengan bus dari kota
terdekat Santa Elena. Sebagian besar dikelilingi oleh hutan dan vegetasi yang subur, itu adalah daerah
yang belum dihuni sejak abad ke-10. Untuk hingga empat belas ratus tahun sebelum ini adalah pusat
seremonial yang berisi beberapa kuil, istana, dan alun-alun umum. Beberapa tempat tinggal telah
ditemukan di sekitar pedesaan sekitarnya, tetapi sumber utama minat budaya adalah struktur upacara.
Meskipun dinyatakan sebagai taman nasional pada tahun 1955, itu tidak secara resmi diadopsi ke daftar
Heratige Dunia sampai 1979.

            Proses adopsi ini dapat dikaitkan dengan Organisasi Pendidikan, Ilmu Pengetahuan, dan
Kebudayaan PBB (UNESCO). Ini adalah kelompok utama di balik daftar Warisan Dunia yang
menandatangani perjanjian internasional yang disebut "Konvensi" pada tahun 1972 untuk melindungi
situs warisan dunia. Misi mereka adalah untuk “mendorong perlindungan identifikasi dan pelestarian
warisan budaya dan alam di seluruh dunia yang dianggap bernilai luar biasa bagi kemanusiaan”. Ada
perbedaan penting yang dibuat antara situs-situs pahala alam dan situs jasa budaya. Taman Nasional
Tikal terdaftar sebagai situs keduanya.

            Jenis-jenis hal yang akan memenuhi syarat sebagai situs warisan budaya termasuk monumen,
kelompok bangunan, atau situs. Monumen mencakup struktur arsitektur, patung, lukisan, benda-benda
arkeologi, dan hal-hal yang luar biasa dari sudut pandang sejarah, sejarah seni atau perspektif ilmiah.
Kelompok-kelompok bangunan yang homogen di alam seperti tempat tinggal memenuhi kriteria, seperti
halnya situs buatan manusia dari estetika atau minat etnolog. Jika situs tersebut termasuk dalam salah
satu dari tiga kategori ini maka harus ditentukan bahwa itu merupakan karya jenius kreatif manusia,
menunjukkan pertukaran penting dari nilai-nilai manusia, atau mengandung kesaksian unik untuk
peradaban yang hidup atau telah menghilang.

            Taman Nasional Tikal memenuhi kriteria ini karena merupakan kota yang hancur dari suku Indian
Maya yang mencerminkan perkembangan budaya yang penting. Tanahnya mengisahkan evolusi mereka
dari komunitas pemburu dan pengumpul hingga orang-orang pertanian yang canggih. Sampel kapas,
tembakau, kacang, labu, cabe dan berbagai buah telah ditemukan di darat. Taman ini juga membuktikan
pengabdian yang intens terhadap agama, seni dan sains yang mereka kejar sampai akhir abad
kesembilan. Ada 3.000 bangunan menakjubkan, seperti kuil, rumah, dan monumen keagamaan yang
berasal dari abad ke-7 SM. Kepentingan budaya lebih lanjut adalah tulisan hieroglif yang ditemukan di
banyak monumen dan makam.

            Selain semua Taman Nasional Tikal ini memenuhi syarat sebagai situs warisan alam. Untuk
sebuah situs yang termasuk dalam kategori ini harus memiliki contoh yang luar biasa dari tahapan
geologis utama dari sejarah bumi atau pengembangan proses ekologi dan biologi dalam sejarah bumi.
Jika sebuah situs tidak memenuhi kriteria ini, maka dapat memenuhi syarat jika situs tersebut dianggap
sebagai tempat dengan keindahan alam yang luar biasa atau jika mengandung habitat alami yang
penting untuk konservasi biologis. Taman Nasional Tikal memenuhi semua ini karena banyaknya tanah
di taman. Di hampir 60.000 acre orang dapat menemukan cekungan sedimen dengan deposito dari
periode Mesozoikum dan Tersier dan apa yang dianggap sebagai sistem lahan basah paling luas di
Amerika tengah. Orang juga dapat menemukan lebih dari 22.000 hektar hutan hujan yang
membanggakan mahoni India Barat, cedar, dan pohon palem dan lebih dari 2.000 spesies tanaman. Hari
ini Mayan mengeksploitasi kayu yang kuat dari hutan untuk bulu mereka

sumber : https://web.stanford.edu/class/e297c/trade_environment/photo/hmayan.html

https://www.ancient.eu/Maya_Civilization/