The Maya ruins of Palenque, are dramatically situated at the
foot of the northernmost hills of the highlands of Chiapas in Mexico. Palenque
is widely regarded as the most atmospheric and impressive of Mexico's Mayan
ruins. Palenque's monumental stone temples are famed for Their architectural
sophistication and fine sculptures, and are made even more interesting by the
detailed knowledge of its history That archaeologists have recovered from its
inscriptions.
Cheap Travel Palenque
The following is a cheap travel map of Palenque which shows
a few of the cheaper accommodation options as well as good, well priced places
to eat. To use this map when traveling, download and print it out, or click on
the “print” button at the bottom of this page to get a hard copy of this entire
page.
History
People lived in this area as early as 300 BC, leaving behind
pottery as evidence. But it was in the Mayan Classic Period (300-900 AD) that
Palenque became an important ceremonial center. It peaked around 600 to 700 AD,
when most of the temples of Palenque were built by King Pakal and his son
Chan-Bahlum.
Known to the Mayans as Lakam Ha, "Big Water,"
Palenque was built in a supremely dramatic location, surrounded by mountains,
rushing waterfalls, and dense forest. Unlike most other Mayan cities, Palenque
enjoyed an abundance of water, which was controlled by means of an elaborate
aqueduct system.
After years of rumors of a lost city in the jungle, the
ruins were first visited in 1773 by the brother of the canon of the cathedral
in San Cristobal de las Casas. In 1786, the Spanish monarchy ordered that the
site be thoroughly searched for gold and treasures. This was done with the help
of locals with pickaxes, and resulted in significant damage to the Palace.
When John Stephens first visited the site in the 1840s, the
ruins were mostly still buried under centuries of accumulated earth and a thick
canopy of jungle.
The main temples have been cleared, but the dense jungle
still surrounds the site and covers unexcavated temples, which can be easily
spotted beneath the foliage. It is estimated that less than 35% of this
important ancient site has been excavated.
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