This text is for questions 8 to 10.

    The city of Tikal dominated Mesoamerica in the 6th century AD, during the region's late Classic period. The most impressive of Tikal's structures are its six huge step pyramids, known as Temples I-VI, some of which tower over 200 ft  (61 m) above the humble tourist. Yet the majesty of Tikal is apparent wherever you are, whether you're craning your neck upward, peering giddily downward, or gazing across the Plaza Mayor at the temple tops rising above the rain forest canopy.

    Tikal leaves much more to the imagination ----its ancient ruins are always keeping something back, whether shrouded in dawn mist or covered in tropical foliage. And when you've found yourself a spot in which to sit and take it all in, Tikal allows you to believe that if you closed your eyes and drifted into a daydream, you might open them again to find yourself in the midst of a Mayan ceremony; an ancient ball game, perhaps, or a shamanic ritual. It's almost as though the Maya had downed tools and left this, their largest city, hours before your arrival.

    Tikal has played host since the 1990s to sacred rituals and traditional festivals. During modern Mayan ceremonies, such as the anti-Columbus Day gathering in October, huge fires are lit in Plaza Mayor.

Adopted from: Anonymous, Off the -Tourist Trai/ 1,000 Unexpected Travel Alternatives, London, Dorling Kindersley Limited, 2009.

What is the place used for in the modern era?