Tikal was the capital of a great Maya city-state, one of the most powerful kingdoms of the ancient Maya. Today Tikal is a site of expansive Mayan ruins deep in the jungle, in the rainforests of northern Guatemala. Tikal became an important ceremonial center between 300 B.C.E. and 100 C.E. and reached its apogee between 300 and 850 C.E., with its great plazas, pyramids, and palaces. By 900 A.D., after hundreds of years of prosperity, the great city of Tikal collapsed. Tikal is listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site.