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Tikal
Tikal was a holy city and one of the most important ceremonial centers of the Mayas. Today, there exist still some good preserved pyramids and other buildings which can be visited. The access to the pyramids was not allowed to the simple people, only the king and his followers could enter them. In Tikal, big celebrations and important ceremonies took place, e.g. seed and harvest festivals, astronomical events like solstice, birth and death in the families of high dignitaries, appointment of a new sovereign, consecration of a new monument, request for succesful campaigns. In such ceremonies, often were offered animal and human sacrifices (mostly prisoners). The most important events were immortalized by steles. A lot of them are preserved. In the 8th century, Tikal also was the most important commercial center of the central lowland.
Palenque was not as big like Tikal, but nevertheless one of the most important Maya capitals. It had its climax from the 6th to the 8th century. In Palenque also a lot of pyramids and other buildings are preserved which can be visited. This Maya city became famous because of the discovery of king Pacals tomb which ruled Palenque for a long period of time and was responsible for the building of a lot of pyramids and temples. The dead kings face was covered with a precious mask of jade mosaic, there were found a lot of precious offerings and also skeletons of young persons which should escort the dead king on his trip into the other world. On found a different style of architecture in Palenque that in Tikal. There were noticed a lot of architectonical improvements, the most interesting for archaeologists is the so called Pyramid of inscriptions. In Palenque don't exist steles, unlike to Tikal or Copán. Instead, important events were registered by sculpures and sculpture jewellery for futur generations.
Copán
Copán is situated in the present-day Honduras and was the most eastern of the big Maya city states. Famous are above all the elaborated steles which are preserved in great quantities. The researchers became a lot of important informations about the Mayas from them. The steles are arranged in the Big Place (ca. 300 m long and more than 100 m wide). In the southern part of this place is an impressive ball game place. In Copán exists a famous hieroglyphs flight of steps. With ca. 2500 hieroglyphs on 63 steps, it is the biggest Maya inscription in stone which has been discovered until today. Researchers today know that Copán was an important astronomical center. There were found a lot of indications to cosmic observations.
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