today, historians and tourists can visit tikal and see some of the 3000 ancient structures that once stood there. among the ruins are six huge pyramids. some are more than 60 meter(200 feet) high. on these pyramids are carved pictures. they help us understand what the maya wee like and how they lived. the ruins of tikal also give us important clues to solve the mystery of why they left and never returned.
experts believe there were a few reasons the maya left tikal. it didn't rain very often, so there was not enough water to drink or to grow food. also, tikal was always at war other cities, and some people may have left to avoid the war.
today, in addition to its important ruins, tikal national park contains the largest area of wild rain forest in central america. it protects thousands of unique plant and animal species.