Editing Tikal (section)

==Population==

Population estimates for Tikal vary from 10,000 to as high as 90,000 inhabitants.<ref name="Coe 1999, p.104"/> The population of Tikal began a continuous curve of growth starting in the [[Mesoamerican chronology|Preclassic Period]] (approximately 2000 BC – AD 200), with a peak in the Late Classic with the population growing rapidly from AD 700 through to 830, followed by a sharp decline. For the {{convert|120|km2|sqmi|sp=us}} area falling within the earthwork defenses of the hinterland, the peak population is estimated at 517 per square kilometer (1340 per square mile). In an area within a {{convert|12|km|mi|sp=us}} radius of the site core, peak population is estimated at 120,000; population density is estimated at 265 per square kilometer (689 per square mile). In a region within a {{convert|25|km|mi|sp=us}} radius of the site core and including some satellite sites, peak population is estimated at 425,000 with a density of 216 per square kilometer (515 per square mile). These population figures are even more impressive because of the extensive swamplands that were unsuitable for habitation or [[Mesoamerican agriculture|agriculture]]. However, some archaeologists, such as David Webster, believe these figures to be far too high.<ref name=w264/>