Visiting the ruin of a fallen, destroyed or abandoned city is perhaps the
closest we can get (as of now) to traveling back in time. What might
it have been like to live in an ancient, Mayan city? Walking the streets
of Tikal, Guatemala may not provide the full picture, but with a little
imagination and a willingness to immerse yourself in the architecture—
the limestone temples, the grand palaces and the countless pyramids—
you might be able to go back for just a moment. Walk the grassy pathways
that wind through the city. Climb the steps of the Temple of the Great
Jaguar that stretch 154 feet into the sky. The year is 700 AD. Who are you?
Are you a distinguished Tikal soldier, recently returned from battle? Are
you a young, Mayan girl, carefree and bounding through the city? The
answer is, you are whoever you wish to be.
V U E N J . C O M
113
