Wender·Vista
Tikal Temple I
shown on ceramic, 12-inch tileGuatemala
deep in the Petén rainforest of northern Guatemala

Tikal Temple I

— limestone above the canopy at first light.

— Where it lives

Not only on a wall.

A small tile on the nightstand catching the morning. A larger one above the fire. Yours, wherever you spend the slow hours.
— On the nightstand, a 6-inch on a walnut stand
— Among the books, a 6-inch leaning into the spines
— Beside the kettle, a 12-inch propped
— Down a quiet hall, an 18-inch floating off the wall
— Above the fire, the 24-inch in a walnut surround
— a note from the studio

“The funerary pyramid built around 732 for the Maya king Jasaw Chan K'awiil I, on the eastern side of the Great Plaza at Tikal. Limestone, nine stepped terraces, a roof comb that still clears the canopy. Howler monkeys begin before dawn. The platform reads cooler than the jungle floor by the time the sun reaches the upper stair.

from the studio
Tikal Temple I
— bring it home

Tikal Temple I, on ceramic.

Each tile is finished by hand in our Knoxville studio. Artwork is slowly infused into the ceramic surface under high heat and pressure, and rests beneath a thin glossy finish. The colour lives in the surface, not on top of it.

What kind of piece?
One tile — square or rectangle.
How big?
the popular one — counter, shelf, nightstand
6 × 6 in · 15 cm · 1.6 lb
Surface finish
A clear glossy finish — the artwork reads as if under resin. Ideal for show-pieces and framed wall art.
How it sits
A hidden cleat — sits ¼″ proud of the wall.
$58
Hand-finished and shipped from our studio at the foot of the Smokies. On your wall in about ten days.
— size
6 × 6 in
15 cm
— weighs
1.6 lb
solid in the hand
— surface
ceramic, hand-finished
art rests beneath a thin glossy finish
— from
Knoxville, TN
our family studio, at the foot of the Smokies
— start a Coaster Set

Pick any four 4-inch tiles — National Parks you've been to, a Smokies set, the four seasons of one place. $ for a set of , cork-backed, ready to live on the table.

— about Tikal Temple I

The place, in three passes.

A little of what's known, in case you fall down the rabbit hole — or want to go see it yourself.
— the place

Tikal Temple I, also called the Temple of the Great Jaguar, stands on the eastern side of the Great Plaza at the ancient Maya city of Tikal in northern Guatemala. The pyramid rises about 47 metres above the plaza floor and was built around 732 as the funerary monument of King Jasaw Chan K'awiil I, who ruled from 682 to 734. Tikal sits inside the Maya Biosphere Reserve in Petén department and was inscribed as a UNESCO mixed natural and cultural site in 1979.

— the stone

The pyramid is built of cut limestone quarried from the surrounding Petén karst, finished with lime stucco and once painted red. Nine receding terraces step up to a small sanctuary at the summit, crowned by a tall roof comb that lifts the silhouette another twelve metres above the temple chamber. The roof comb was once carved and painted with a giant figure of the seated king. Inside the platform, archaeologists in 1962 found Burial 116, a vaulted tomb holding jade, pearls, and the carved bones associated with Jasaw Chan K'awiil I.

— the visit

Tikal National Park is open daily, typically from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., with sunrise and sunset tours arranged through licensed guides. Climbing the temple itself has been closed since the early 2000s for preservation; the long view of Temple I is taken from the Great Plaza or from the upper terraces of Temple II opposite. Most visitors enter from Flores or the village of El Remate, about an hour by road. Long sleeves, water, and insect protection are standard, even in the dry season from December to April.

— informed by Wikipedia — Tikal
— where
Guatemala · Tikal National Park, Petén
— within
Tikal National Park
— position
17.2220° N · 89.6237° W
— the neighborhood

What's nearby.

A handful of named places within an hour's walk or short drive. Some we've already painted; some we will.
at the lake
Temple II
Maya pyramid
1 km W
Temple IV
Maya pyramid
64 km SW
Flores
lake town
N
Tikal Temple I
Temple II
Temple IV
Flores
— common questions

What people ask.

A few questions we get about Tikal Temple I — and about bringing the piece home.
— about the place

The pyramid rises about 47 metres, or roughly 154 feet, above the floor of the Great Plaza. The roof comb at the summit adds another twelve metres above the temple chamber.

Burial 116, found in 1962 inside the pyramid, is identified as the tomb of Jasaw Chan K'awiil I, the Maya ruler of Tikal from 682 to 734. The chamber held jade, pearls, and carved bones.

Construction is dated to around 732, during the reign of Jasaw Chan K'awiil I. The pyramid was completed late in his rule or by his son, Yik'in Chan K'awiil, shortly after.

The pyramid itself has been closed to climbing since the early 2000s for preservation. The view of Temple I is taken from the Great Plaza or from the upper terraces of Temple II opposite.

The dry season from December through April is the most reliable for travel and photography. Howler monkeys and dawn light over the Great Plaza are the long-remembered details for most visitors.

— about the piece in your home

Often, yes. People who walk the Great Plaza at dawn tend to remember the silhouette of Temple I against the canopy, and the tile keeps that shape in the room.

The limestone greys and jungle greens read well in mountain-modern, biophilic, and warm-earth rooms. The tile sits cleanly above a leather chair or a teak console.

A single Large works above a standard sofa, a 4-tile Mural fills a wider sectional, and a 9-tile Mural carries a longer wall where the canopy and the pyramid can both breathe.

Yes, with the Dura Satin or Matte finish. Both are scratch-resistant and made for vertical installation in showers, backsplashes, and powder rooms.

A soft microfibre cloth with water is enough for routine cleaning. For the kitchen or bath finishes, a mild non-abrasive cleaner is fine. Avoid scouring pads on any finish.

Yes. Every WenderVista piece is painted in-house in Knoxville, Tennessee, under a single curatorial eye. The work is not licensed and is not available through any other studio.

— if this one stayed with you

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