Temple V in 1998
When we visited Tikal in 1998, Temple V was undergoing extensive conservation and restoration work sponsored by the Guatemalan Instituto de Anthropología e Historia and the Spanish Agencia Española de Cooperación Internacional. The banner states that 7.2 million quetzales would be spent on this project.
Restoration completed by 2004
Temple V, one of the great temples of Tikal, stands looking north, just to the east of the South Acropolis. Radiocarbon tests indicate a constructions date of about A.D. 700."
William R. Coe, Tikal: A Handbook of the Ancient Maya Ruins, p. 92
New features revealed
Outstanding features include the rounded corners on the temple and its substructure and the raised edges of moldings on the sides of the great stairway. Excavation revealed no traces of monuments at the base of the stairway."
William R. Coe, Tikal: A Handbook of the Ancient Maya Ruins, p. 92
Huge billboard–like roofcomb
Temple V stands close to 190 feet high and is unusual for the tiny single room at the top."
William R. Coe, Tikal: A Handbook of the Ancient Maya Ruins, p. 92
The massive roofcomb completely dominates the tiny room below.
Temple V Friezes in 1882 photo
From the Maudslay Collection, British Museum. Used with permission under the CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 non-commercial license. ©The Trustees of the British Museum.
This enlargement of a portion of a photo taken by Alfred Maudslay when he visited Tikal in 1881/1882, shows the temple as it appeared at that time. Visible at the time were huge masks adorning the frieze above the doorway
Interior view of the narrow sanctuary
This room had a breadth of only 2 1/2 feet, yet the rear wall is about 15 feet thick.
Temple V profiled against jungle follage
