Palenque

Palenque, known in the Itza Language as Lakamhaʼ ("Big Water or Big Waters"), was a Maya city state in southern Mexico that perished in the 8th century. The Palenque ruins date from ca. 226 BC to ca. 799 AD. After its decline, it was overgrown by the jungle of cedar, mahogany, and sapodilla trees, but has since been excavated and restored.

Palenque is a medium-sized site, smaller than Tikal, Chichen Itza, or Copán, but it contains some of the finest architecture, sculpture, roof comb and bas-relief carvings that the Mayas produced.

The most famous ruler of Palenque was K'inich Janaab Pakal, or Pacal the Great, whose tomb has been found and excavated in the Temple of the Inscriptions.

Entering the Archaeological Zone of Palenque. Palenque is located near the Usumacinta River in the Mexican state of Chiapas, about 130 km (81 mi) south of Ciudad del Carmen, 150 meters (490 ft) above sea level. It averages a humid 26°C (79°F) with roughly 2,160 millimeters (85 in) of rain a year.

Map of the Archaeological Zone of Palenque. On this map north is at the top and south is at the bottom. The entrance to the Archaeological Zone of Palenque is from the west (left).

Walking towards the monuments.

Approaching Temple XII or Temple of the Skull.

Temple XII or Temple of the Skull. The Temple of the Skull has a skull on one of the pillars.

Approaching the Central Square. On the south side of the Central Square we see the Temple of Inscriptions (left) and the Temple of the Red Queen (right).

South side of the Central Square. On the south side of the Central Square we see the Temple of Inscriptions (left) and the Temple of the Red Queen (right).

The Temple of the Red Queen. The Tomb of the Red Queen is a burial chamber containing the remains of a noblewoman, perhaps Lady Ix Tz'akbu Ajaw, and two servants, located inside Temple XIII in the ruins of the ancient Maya city of Palenque, now the Palenque National Park, in the Chiapas state in southern Mexico. It has been dated to between 600 and 700 AD.

Entering the Temple of the Red Queen. In the spring of 1994, a young Mexican archaeologist named Fanny López Jiménez was performing routine stabilization work on a temple adjacent to the Temple of the Inscriptions. Fanny noted a small crack on the stairs, partially covered by masonry and some weeds. Using her flashlight and a mirror, she peered into a narrow passageway hidden by the stairs, that seemed to connect to a sealed door.

Inside the Temple of the Red Queen. The chamber is 3.8 m (12 ft) long and 2.5 m (8 ft) wide, with a vaulted stone ceiling. There are no decorations or paintings on the walls. In the center, occupying almost all the burial chamber, was a limestone sarcophagus 2.4 m (8 ft) long and 1.8 m (6 ft) wide, closed by a stone lid ten centimeters thick. Atop the lid was a censer with a lid and a small spindle whorl. Inside the sarcophagus was the remains of a woman lying on her back. Her skeleton was covered and surrounded by a large collection of jade and pearl objects, bone needles and shells, which were originally pieces of necklaces, earspools and wristlets. Around the skull was a diadem made of flat circular jade beads, and the malachite pieces of what had been a funeral mask. In the chest area of the skeleton were more flat jade beads and four obsidian blades. In addition, there was a tiny limestone figurine inside a seashell. The skeleton, the collection of objects and the inside of the sarcophagus were entirely covered with a bright red dust made of cinnabar, or the ground ore of mercury.

Leaving the Temple of the Red Queen. Temple XIII is next to the Pyramid of the Inscriptions, and much smaller in size. It is about twelve meters high, built in steps, with an external stairway leading to the top. An internal stairway led into the center of the pyramid, but it had completely collapsed and was blocked by debris. In 1973 the archeologist Jorge Acosta explored the first two levels of Temple XIII, but did not find the entrance to the burial chamber. See more at Tomb of the Red Queen - Wikipedia .

Tomb of Albert Ruz Lhuillier. Opposite the tomb of the Red Queen is the tomb of Alberto Ruz Lhuillier. Honoring his works, the Mexican Government permits that his remains rest in peace in front of the Necropolis that was discovered by him. Alberto Ruz Lhuillier (27 January 1906 – 25 August 1979) was a Mexican archaeologist. He specialized in pre-Columbian Mesoamerican archaeology and is well known for leading the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) excavations at the Maya site of Palenque, where he found the tomb of the Maya ruler, Pakal. See more at Alberto Ruz Lhuillier - Wikipedia.

Temple of the Inscriptions. The Temple of the Inscriptions ("House of the Nine Sharpened Spears") is the largest Mesoamerican stepped pyramid structure at the pre-Columbian Maya civilization site of Palenque. The structure was specifically built as the funerary monument for K'inich Janaab' Pakal, ajaw or ruler of Palenque in the 7th century, whose reign over the polity lasted almost 70 years.

Temple of the Inscriptions. Construction of this monument commenced in the last decade of his life, and was completed by his son and successor K'inich Kan B'alam II. Within Palenque, the Temple of the Inscriptions is located in an area known as the Temple of the Inscriptions’ Court and stands at a right angle to the Southeast of the Palace. The Temple of the Inscriptions has been significant in the study of the ancient Maya, owing to the extraordinary sample of hieroglyphic text found on the Inscription Tablets, the impressive sculptural panels on the piers of the building, and the finds inside the tomb of Pakal.

Temple of the Inscriptions. Archaeologists agree that the temple had at least three construction phases, and all of them are visible today. The eight levels of the stepped pyramid, the temple, and the narrow stairway at its center correspond to the earliest construction phase, whereas the wider eight steps at the base of the pyramid, along with the nearby balustrade and platform were built during to a later phase.

Temple of the Inscriptions. The structure consists of a "temple" structure that sits atop an eight-stepped pyramid (for a total of nine levels). The five entrances in the front of the building are surrounded by piers bearing both carved images and the hieroglyphic texts in Maya script for which the temple was named. Inside the temple, a stairway leads to the crypt containing the sarcophagus of Pakal. See more at Temple of the Inscriptions - Wikipedia.

Listening to the teachings. Blandine Gautier explains the importance of the Temple of Inscriptions.

The lid of Pakal's sarcophagus. Blandine Gautier uses a reproduction to explain to us the meaning of the various symbols on Pakal's sarcophagus lid. In the image that covers the lid of Pakal’s sarcophagus, Pakal lies on top of the “earth monster.” Below him are the open jaws of a jaguar, symbolizing Xibalba. Above him is the Celestial Bird, perched atop the Cosmic Tree (represented by a cross) which, in turn, holds a Serpent in its branches. Thus, in the image Pakal lies between two worlds: the heavens and the underworld. Also on the sarcophagus are Pakal’s ancestors, arraigned in a line going back six generations. Merle Greene Robertson is the only one to have ever photographed the sarcophagus lid. She was suspended from the ceiling in order to photograph it. Afterwards, the tomb was resealed and has not been reopened ever since.

The Palace. The Palace, a complex of several connected and adjacent buildings and courtyards, was built by several generations on a wide artificial terrace during four century period. The Palace was used by the Mayan aristocracy for bureaucratic functions, entertainment, and ritualistic ceremonies. The Palace is located in the center of the ancient city.

The Palace. Within the Palace there are numerous sculptures and bas-relief carvings that have been conserved.

The Palace. The A-shaped Corbel arch is an architectural motif observed throughout the complex. The Corbel arches require a large amount of masonry mass and are limited to a small dimensional ratio of width to height providing the characteristic high ceilings and narrow passageways. The Palace was equipped with numerous large baths and saunas which were supplied with fresh water by an intricate water system. An aqueduct, constructed of great stone blocks with a three-meter-high vault, diverts the Otulum River to flow underneath the main plaza.

Altar at the bottom of the Palace stairs.

The Palace Observation Tower. The Palace most unusual and recognizable feature is the four-story tower known as The Observation Tower. The Observation Tower like many other buildings at the site exhibit a mansard-like roof.

Advancing to the Temples of the Cross group.

The Temple of Inscriptions seen from the east.

The Palace seen from the west.

The Palace seen from the southeast.

The Temple of Inscriptions seen from the south.

The Lacandon Jungle. Crossing the jungle towards the Temples of the Cross group. Palenque is situated in the Lacandon Jungle. The Lacandon Jungle (Spanish: Selva Lacandona) is an area of rainforest which stretches from Chiapas, Mexico, into Guatemala. The heart of this rainforest is located in the Montes Azules Biosphere Reserve in Chiapas near the border with Guatemala in the Montañas del Oriente region of the state. Although much of the jungle outside the reserve has been cleared, the Lacandon is still one of the largest montane rainforests in Mexico. It contains 1,500 tree species, 33% of all Mexican bird species, 25% of all Mexican animal species, 56% of all Mexican diurnal butterflies and 16% of all Mexico's fish species. The Lacandon in Chiapas is also home to a number of important Mayan archaeological sites including Palenque, Yaxchilan and Bonampak, with numerous smaller sites which remain partially or fully unexcavated. This rainforest, especially the area inside the Biosphere Reserve, is a source of political tension, pitting the EZLN or Zapatistas and their indigenous allies who want to farm the land against international environmental groups and the Lacandon Maya, the original indigenous group of the area and the one that holds the title to most of the lands in Montes Azures. See more at Lacandon Jungle - Wikipedia.

We begin to see the Temple of the Sun through the trees.

The Temples of the Cross group. We arrive at the Temples of the Cross group. In the background you can already see the Temple of the Cross. The Temple of the Cross, Temple of the Sun, and Temple of the Foliated Cross are a set of graceful temples atop step pyramids, each with an elaborately carved relief in the inner chamber depicting two figures presenting ritual objects and effigies to a central icon. Earlier interpretations had argued that the smaller figure was that of K'inich Janaab' Pakal while the larger figure was K'inich Kan B'ahlam. However, it is now known based on a better understanding of the iconography and epigraphy that the central tablet depicts two images of Kan B'ahlam. The smaller figure shows K'inich Kan B'ahlam during a rite of passage ritual at the age of six (9.10.8.9.3 9 Akbal 6 Xul) while the larger is of his accession to kingship at the age of 48. These temples were named by early explorers; the cross-like images in two of the reliefs actually depict the tree of creation at the center of the world in Maya mythology.

The Temple of the Sun seen from the south. The first temple we see, on our left, is the temple of the sun. On the west side of the plaza, with the best preserved roof comb at Palenque, is the Temple of the Sun, a part of the Cross Group.

The Temple of the Sun seen from the southeast. Carvings inside commemorate the accession to the throne - in 684 AD - of Kan Balam, born in 635 AD. He is shown facing his father. This temple has a roof comb in very good conditions and has three entrances. The base of this Pyramid was built in four stages. In the Sanctuary is a bas relief. It depicts Pakal as a departed, now living with the Gods, and his son Kan Balam. Others believe its meaning to be a rite of passage for Kan Balam, first appearing as a child and then as an adult man. Between the two figures is the picture of the Jaguar Sun of the Underworld. The Jaguar Sun of the Underworld is connected with war and ceremonial offerings. The image of the God appears on a shield. This shield stands in a palanquin. Behind the Jaguar God are several spears. The palanquin is held by two Gods. The inscriptions also mentioned an event from K'an Joy Chitam I's life. He was Kan Balam's predecessor. On November 20th, 496 K'an Joy Chitam I had participated in a ceremony that seems to have been reserved for royal heirs. But it seems that Kan Balam participated in such ceremony later in life.

The Temple of the Cross seen from the southwest. In front of us is the imposing Temple of the Cross.

The Temple of the Foliated Cross. To the right of the Temple of the Cross is the Temple of the Foliated Cross. The Temple of the Foliated Cross is directly across the courtyard from the Temple of the Sun, and both are adjacent to the Temple of the Cross. As the other buildings in the Cross Group, the Temple of the Foliated Cross, is a tall narrow pyramid surmounted by a temple with an elaborate stone roof comb. The front half of the building is lost so the corbelled arches and keyholes are completely exposed, revealing how the architects at Palenque designed these buildings. It contains a carved panel representing sacred rites. There is a Cross on the panel it contains, equally important to the Maya as the symbol is in the Christian faith. In the Maya Cosmological Order it represents the place where the heavens and the Underworld meet with the land of the living. The Tablet on the Foliated Cross is perhaps the most impressive of all the Palenque tablets. It contains a scene from Kan Balam II's enthronement, and he is accompanied by his father Pakal II, or maybe, we can see the king as child and as an adult. Both reverence the corn or maize plant that has a celestial bird on top, and is growing on a base formed by a k'an or precious glyph on a mask. The symbol of K'an represents the corn seed, from which the plant grows. Kan Balam II offers an image to the K'awiil God, ruler deity of the temple, agriculture and lineage. It is on top of a Witz Nal glyph, or mask of the God of the Corn Mountain. Pakal is on top of a snail, from which there are corn leaves growing. On the left hand side of the glyphs there are several episodes of the creation of the World are recounted such as the birth of K'awiil in 2360 BC. On the right hand side consecration ceremonies of the temples in this compound are told, one is highly relevant, on July 23 rd 690 AD. Kan Balam II invoked a supernatural snake the next day during a ritual related to the cult of the ancestors. A well preserved inscribed tablet shows a king, probably Pakal, with a sun shield emblazoned on his chest, corn growing from his shoulder blades and a sacred quetzal bird on his head.

The Temple of the Cross seen from the west.

Climbing to the top of the Temple of the Cross.

View of the Palace from the top of the Temple of the Cross.

The Temple of the Sun and the Temple XIV. View of the Temple of the Sun (left) and the Temple XIV (right) from the top of the Temple of the Cross.

The roof comb of the Temple of the Cross. Roof comb (or roof-comb) is the structure that tops a pyramid in monumental Mesoamerican architecture. Examination of the sections and iconography of Maya civilization roof-combs indicates that each icon had specific sacred meanings. Typically, the roof combs crowned the summit of pyramids and other structures; they consisted of two pierced framework walls which leaned on one another. This framework was covered by plaster decorated with artist depictions of gods or important rulers. The best preserved roof comb (crestería) at Palenque crowns the Temple of the Cross, in spite of the fact that the façade of the building has slumped away. Its interior is in good condition. It is coated with finished stucco and contains within it a sort of stairway for its own maintenance with an opening at the top. The fragments of stucco decoration on the exterior might appear to be too sparse to give clues to its iconography. But Merle Greene Robertson, using a 1000 millimeter lens, has captured details and fragments not visible to the naked eye. By comparing these with magnified enlargements of the remarkable glass plate photographs taken by Maudslay in 1890 one can salvage a surprising amount of information. Details and sections indicate what figures must have been in what places and these in turn may be interpreted through the rigidly observed iconography repeated throughout Palenque. See more at Roof comb - Wikipedia.

Some previous explanations. Blandine Gautier explains the importance of the engravings that we will see inside the temple.

Looking into the temple. We cannot go inside the temple, but we can appreciate the engravings from the outside.

Bas-relief carvings in the inner chamber. Bas-relief carvings in the Temple of the Cross describe the accession of K'inich Kan Balam to the throne of Palenque. In the panel stands Kan Balam in the middle and in front of him (the little figurine) is his father, Pakal. His dead father gives him the symbol of his power over Palenque. Other scientists believe it to be Kan Balam, appearing twice on the panel. One time as a young man and the other as an adult. Between both is only the holy ceiba, the World Tree. It is connected to the realm of the otherworld. The Tree stands as the depiction of the Earth, the entrance to the underworld. Both persons stand on a so called sky band. It is composed of signs representing Venus, the Sun, the Moon etc. This tells us, that the scene doesn't play out in the world of the living. In 1993 archaeologist found a great offering in this temple. In this offering are more than 100 incense burners.

Descending from the Temple of the Cross.

Climbing to the top of Temple XIV. Temple XIV and Temple XV are two smaller temples found between the Temple of the Sun and the Temple of the Cross. Temple XIV was built during the reign of K'an Hoy Chitam II (702 AD to 711 AD). He was heir to his older brother.

Looking into the temple. We cannot go inside the temple, but we can appreciate the engravings from the outside.

Bas-relief carvings in the inner chamber. Within the inner chamber of these temples bas-relief carvings are found, depicting two figures. At first scientists thought that the smaller figure was K'inich Janaab' Pakal, Kan Bahlum's father, and that the bigger figure was K'inich Kan B'ahlam himself. Now, with a greater knowledge of iconography and epigraphy, it is believed that both figurines represent Kan Bahlum: one in his youth at the ritual of passage, and the other at adulthood representing his accession to the throne. Between these figures is the Ceiba, also known as the World Tree.

Temple XV. Temple XIV and Temple XV are two smaller temples are found between the Temple of the Sun and the Temple of the Cross. The first construction program in the Cross Group implicated the build of Temple XV. After ceramics found in a Tomb of Temple XV it is now clear that this structure was the earliest Temple of the group and it had funerary, ceremonial and housing functions as the incense burners demonstrate.

East facade of the Palace undergoing restoration work.

Altar next to the east facade of the Palace.

Detail of the restoration of the east facade of the Palace.

The Palace seen from the northeast.

The Ballcourt. In the highlands of Chiapas and of Guatemala alone, 300 courts have been found. Of these, 85% have been dated in the post-classic period. Only two early classic courts have been reported: Palenque and Copan. The playing arena was in the shape of an uppercase "I" with a long middle section and parallel ends. High platforms on either side of the court allowed for large numbers of spectators. See more at Maya Ballgame - Wikipedia.

The Palace seen from the northwest.

Detail of the Palace with bas-reliefs. These bas-reliefs are to the right of the staircase on the west side of the Palace facing the Central Square.

Leaving the Central Square and the Archaeological Zone of Palenque.

See also

• Chan-kah Restaurant
• Palenque Museum

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Sources

• Palenque - Wikipedia
• Palenque - Lugares INAH

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Location