Tikal Temple 33

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Tikal Temple 33 is a 33-meter-high Maya funerary pyramid in the North Acropolis, facing the Great Plaza between Temples 32 and 34. It was built over the tomb of Siyaj Chan K’awiil II, a 5th-century king, and was sealed in AD 457.

Construction happened in three phases. The earliest phase created a wide base platform as a mortuary shrine over the tomb. A second phase added a new superstructure with more stucco masks and paneling, and the walls carried Early Classic graffiti. During the third phase, during the Tikal Hiatus (a long pause in building activity), a taller pyramid was completed to about 33 meters, and Stela 31 was moved into the shrine above the tomb. This third phase also included a new royal burial inside the structure.

In 1959–60 archaeologists uncovered the earlier construction beneath the final version. In 1965 the final temple (Temple 33-1) was dismantled so its rubble could be used to fill a large trench in the North Acropolis and to study how it was built. The decision sparked controversy among scholars, but it was approved by Guatemala’s Institute of Anthropology and History (IDAEH).

Stela 31, dedicated in AD 445, sits above the tomb in a location tied to the temple’s later phases. It shows Siyaj Chan K’awiil II with Teotihuacan-style imagery, and his father Yax Nuun Ayiin I is represented on the monument. Altar 19, buried with the final fill, dates to about AD 445 and is now in the site museum.

Three burials were found in Temple 33:
- Burial 23: a royal tomb cut into bedrock south of Siyaj Chan K’awiil II’s tomb; possibly Nuun Ujol Chaak, a late-7th-century king, was intended for this space.
- Burial 24: an elite burial placed in the rubble core during the third phase.
- Burial 48: the tomb of Siyaj Chan K’awiil II, carved from bedrock along the temple’s central axis, accompanied by two sacrifices. The grave goods included many jade items, shells, stone tools, and a Teotihuacan-style offering vessel. The tomb bears a dated inscription for AD 457.

Overall, Temple 33 is one of the most studied monuments in the Maya world, revealing Teotihuacan influence, rich royal burials, and a complex, multi-stage construction history.