Tikal Temple VI (also known as the Temple of the Inscriptions and Structure 6F-27) is a

Mesoamerican pyramid Mesoamerican pyramids form a prominent part of ancient Mesoamerican architecture. Although similar in some ways to Egyptian pyramids, these New World structures have flat tops (many with temples on the top) and stairs ascending their faces, more ...

in the ruins of the major

Maya city Maya cities were the centres of population of the pre-Columbian Maya civilization of Mesoamerica. They served the specialised roles of administration, commerce, manufacturing and religion that characterised ancient cities worldwide.Sharer & Tra ...

Tikal Tikal (; ''Tik'al'' in modern Mayan orthography) is the ruin of an ancient city, which was likely to have been called Yax Mutal, found in a rainforest in Guatemala. It is one of the largest archaeological sites and urban centers of the Pre-Col ...

, in the

Petén department Petén (from the Itza' language, Itz'a, , 'Great Island') is a Departments of Guatemala, department of Guatemala. It is geographically the northernmost department of Guatemala, as well as the largest by area at it accounts for about one third o ...

of northern

Guatemala Guatemala, officially the Republic of Guatemala, is a country in Central America. It is bordered to the north and west by Mexico, to the northeast by Belize, to the east by Honduras, and to the southeast by El Salvador. It is hydrologically b ...

. Temple VI is located at the southeastern end of the Mendez Causeway, which links the temple plaza with the site core. The temple faces west onto a walled plaza. The existence of the temple was first reported in 1951 by Antonio Ortiz on behalf of the

Instituto de Antropología e Historia The Instituto de Antropología e Historia (IDAEH, ''Institute of Anthropology and History'') is the national institute in Guatemala responsible for the protection and maintenance of Guatemala's historical and archaeological sites, monuments, art ...

(IDAEH - "Institute of Anthropology and History"). The

roof comb The roof comb (or roof-comb) is the structure that tops a pyramid in monumental Mesoamerican architecture. Typically, the roof combs crowned the summit of pyramids and other structures; they consisted of two pierced framework walls which leaned o ...

of the temple is inscribed on its sides and back with a lengthy hieroglyphic text.Sharer and Traxler 2006, p.304. The pyramid's summit superstructure contains two chambers, and the highest surviving portion of the temple's roof comb stands high. The pyramid superstructure is accessed via three west-facing doorways. The triple doorway and interior layout of the chambers suggest that Temple VI was in fact a palace-type structure rather than a temple.

Hieroglyphic inscription

The text contains a history of Tikal stretching back into the Preclassic period. The earliest date in the text equates to 1139 BC; it records either a mythical foundation event or, perhaps, a distantly remembered historical event of importance.Sharer and Traxler 2006, p.403.

Monuments

Stela 21 was erected at the foot of Temple VI. It records the succession of king Yik'in Chan K'awiil in AD 734. When found the stela had fallen from its original position and was re-erected during restoration work.Coe 1967, 1988, p.87. Only the bottom section of the stela survives.Kelly 1996, p.139. Some text survives on the left hand side of the front of the monument; it is of excellent quality workmanship and records a date in AD 736. A part of the stela was reused and fashioned into a ''

metate A metate (or mealing stone) is a type or variety of quern, a ground stone tool used for processing grain and seeds. In traditional Mesoamerican cultures, metates are typically used by women who would grind nixtamalized maize and other organi ...

'' that was found by locals northwest of the temple. Altar 9 is paired with Stela 21 at the foot of the pyramid steps. The altar is badly damaged and is missing large fragments. The upper face of the altar was sculpted with the image of a face-down bound captive.Coe 1967, 1988, .pp.87-88.

Notes

References

* * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Tikal Temple 06 Tikal Maya architecture Pyramids in Guatemala 8th-century religious buildings and structures 8th century in Guatemala 8th-century establishments in the Maya civilization