Palenque, also anciently known as Lakamha (literally: "Big Water"), was a Maya city state in southern México that flourished in the 7th century. The Palenque ruins date from ca. 226 BCE to ca. 799 CE. After its decline, it was absorbed into the jungle of cedar, mahogany, and sapodilla trees, but has since been excavated and restored. It is located near the Usumacinta River in the Mexican state of Chiapas, about 130 km (81 miles) south of Ciudad del Carmen, 150 m (490 ft) above sea level. It averages a humid 26°C (79°F) with roughly 2,160 mm (85") of rain a year.
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. Much of the history of Palenque has been reconstructed from reading the hieroglyphic inscriptions on the many monuments; historians now have a long sequence of the ruling dynasty of Palenque in the 5th century and extensive knowledge of the city-state's rivalry with other states such as Calakmul and Toniná. 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.
By 2005, the discovered area covered up to 2.5 km² (1.0 square mile), but it is estimated that less than 10% of the total area of the city is explored, leaving more than a thousand structures still covered by jungle.
View over Palenque with Temple 14 on the left and the Palace with the Observation Tower on the right. (1289k) Residential buildings. (1.7M) Ball court. (1435k) North Group temples. (1473k) Stucco decorations on the North Group temples. (1489k) Temple of the Count. (1.6M) Temple 12 (Temple of the Skull). (1.8M) Top part of the Temple of the Skull. (1.9M) Detail of the top part of the Temple of the Skull. (1166k) The skull that gave the temple its name. (1292k) Temple 13. (1.6M) Temple of the Sun (left), Temple 14 (center) and Temple 15 (right). (1393k) Temple 14. (1.9M) Fresco in Temple 14. (1040k) Closer view of the fresco in Temple 14. (990k) Temple of the Sun. (1.6M) Temple of the Sun. (1401k) Top of the Temple of the Sun. (1172k) Fresco in the Temple of the Sun. (941k) Side view of the Temple of the Cross. (1353k) Temple of the Cross. (1.6M) Carved relief in the Temple of the Cross. (1009k) Carved relief in the Temple of the Cross. (935k) Fresco in the Temple of the Cross. (1082k) Corbel arch on the Temple of the Cross. (1321k) Temple of the Inscriptions, Temple 13, and Temple of the Skull (from left to right). (1201k) Temple of Foliated the Cross. (1.9M) Side view of the Temple of the Inscriptions. (1314k) View of Temple of the Inscriptions from the Palace. (1454k) Temple of the Inscriptions. (1225k) Unexcavated Maya structure. It is estimated that only 10% of the city have been excavated. (1.6M) Unexcavated Maya structure. (1.5M) Unexcavated Maya structure. (1.9M)
The Palace
The Palace. (1.6M) The Palace. (1311k) West side of the Palace with limestone reliefs on each pillar. (1.5M) Close-up of one of the decorated pillars. (1303k) Close-up of one of the decorated pillars. (1409k) Close-up of one of the decorated pillars. (1.5M) Close-up of one of the decorated pillars. (1449k) Building in the Palace with limestone reliefs on each pillar. (1316k) Close-up of one of the decorated pillars. (1241k) Close-up of one of the decorated pillars. (1146k) Detail of one of the decorated pillars. (994k) Detail of one of the decorated pillars. (1157k) Building in the Palace with limestone reliefs around the base. (1268k) Decorated staircase. (1.6M) Limestone relief. (1110k) Limestone relief. (1365k) Limestone relief. (1433k) Limestone relief. (1132k) Hieroglyphic inscription. (1277k) Corbel arch in the Palace. (1288k) Decorated corbel arch in the Palace. (1049k) Close-up of the decorated corbel arch in the Palace. (1128k) Stucco decorations on the base of the Palace. (1185k) The Aqueduct that brought water to the palace. (2M)
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