This is a bucket list item. For me, the ruins of Palenque are THEBEST attraction to see in Mexico! This is an incredible archeological site of a Mayan city, on a highland overlooking a vast plain on the edge of the Chiapas jungle near the Guatemalan border. The jungle rises up behind the striking buildings. We walked back into the jungle and found half-buried stone structures covered in jungle vines. It felt like we were some of the original explorers of the place, like Indiana Jones or something, and this ancient and mysterious scene left an imprint. By 2005, the explored area was about 1.5 square miles, which is estimated to be less than 10% of the city, with an estimated 1,000 or more thousand structures still covered by jungle. Palenque is located in Mexico’s southernmost state of Chiapas is about 500 miles(800 km) southeast of Mexico City and about 150 km by road from the city of Villahermosa, which is the way we came. You can also take a bus from Cancun or Merida. Very recently Interjet Airlines started non-stop flights from Mexico City directly into the Palenque airport(Thursdays, and Sundays). The city reached its peak in the seventh century A.D. with a major building expansion under the reign of «Pakal the Great» who ascended the throne at the age of twelve to his death at age eighty. The construction included of the huge«Palace», and the«Temple of the Inscriptions» which sits on top of a step pyramid. Other notable buildings are the Temple of the Cross, Temple of the Foliated Cross and the Temple of the Sun. The King’s tomb of Pakal the Great was rediscovered in 1952 inside the«Temple of the Inscriptions». It had been previously overlooked. Back in 1987 when I was there, you descended huge steps deep down into the pyramid to see Pacal’s incredible tomb. The large carved stone sarcophagus lid in the Temple of Inscriptions is one of the most important pieces of Classic Maya art. The New World’s earliest known example of engineered water pressure was discovered at Palenque. It was previously thought that the Spanish brought this technology to the Americas, but the aquaducts here predate the arrival of the Spanish and other Europeans. Archaeologists believe this site was occupied from about 500 B.C. to around 850 A.D. when it was abandoned. What led to the collapse of the Mayan civilization is still the subject of debate, but recent research suggests that drought caused by climate change played an important role. After its decline, Palenque was absorbed by the jungle. However, the vegetation largely protected the structures from looting and the elements. The Pre-Hispanic City and National Park of Palenque is a World Heritage site since 1987. The experience of Palenque blows away even Chichen Itza because of its lush greenery, exotic jungle location and because the crowds and sellers are less. The local rainfall is about 85 inches(2160 mm) per year. Unilocal was not even a figment when I visited here in 1987. I really need to search in my storage for my hard-copy pictures and convert them to digital to post here. I can only post internet pictures at this time, but I had to post something cause this place is truly AWESOME. Even more«awesome» than a Frappuchino from Huntington Beach Starbucks.
