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PalenqueThe approach to the ruins of Palenque is dramatic and beautiful. You see temples nestled in the jungle on a ridge overlooking teh forest on the side of a mountain. Even the mountains themselves are dramatic and mysterious, and your senses will prickle when you see the first stone representation of an ancient god staring down at you suddendly from the jungle leaves. There are stone and plaster gods everywehre at Palenque, reminding you that this was once indeed a great temple and is now one of the most impressive ruins in all of Mexico. There is also a town of Palenque, about five miles from the ruins, where you can stay, eat, and make plans for excursions to and from the ruins and elsewhere in Mexico. Rates are reasonable and transportation from town to the Ruins is easy and convenient. Palenque is 143 miles from San Cristóbal. The drive is rough but beautiful, since you are driving through lush jungle and there will be plenty of mountain views. If you don't want to drive, you can take a train tour to Palenque from Mérida. It goes once a month so make plans ahead of time for this tour. Getting to the ruins from town is easy: there's a bus that goes every 10 minutes, from Avenida Juárez, which is the main street down Palenque. The first bus is at 6am and the last is at 6pm. Plus, it's SO cheap. If you ae staying anywhere between Avenida Juárez and the ruins, the bus can also be flagged down. For instance, if you're staying in La Cañada, the bus runs right through here so you can flag it down easily. La Cañada is a restaurant and hotel zone for tourists, just outside the center of the city, in the jungle. It's perfect for travellers. You can walk the few blocks to town, and buses pass through here. Palenque is hot and humid in summertime, and in winter you might get a chill at night. Internet and ATM are available in this jungle town, so there's no reason not to stay for a few days and savor one of the greatest ruins areas in Mexico. The Palenque RuinsPractical InfoUntil the mid-1990s, Palenque ruins were merely a fantastic archaeological site. Then, a museum and visitor center were opened, with snack bar, parking, and shopping. The Lacandó:n Indians sell items like bows and arrows here as well. Now, the area is full-fledged tourist-friendly. The museum is worth it, and you'll see some fantasic jade which was taken from the digs. The price of admission to the museum is included in your admission price to the ruins, which are now Parque Nacional Palenque. As the archaeologists dig and dig, they find more artifacts, some of which end up in the museum, so the displays are constantly changing. Displays are in Spanish and English. It only costs $4 to get in, and another $4 if you want to shoot a video. Parking is free.HistoryPeople lived at Palenque as early as 300 B.C. The height of Palenque as a ceremonial center was around A.D. 700. John Stevens first came to Palenque in the 1840s, when the ruins were barely visible under thick canopy of jungle forest, which you can still see if you look just beyond the excavated site. Scientists have worked hard and pieced together lots of history from Palenque, and you can learn about the gods worshipped here in an excellent book on the subject, A Forest of Kings, by Linda Schele and David Freidel. The TemplesTemple 13 is all abuzz lately because discoveries have been made of an ancient tomb here, with bodies of wealthy male with female and a child. Temple of the Inscriptions is a must-see because it's here that so many heiroglyphs have been discovered, supplying scientists with much to study and discover about the history of Palenque. They describe King Pacal, and can be seen on display not in Palenque's museum, but in the National Anthropological Museum in Mexico City. King Pacal's crypt was discovered at Temple of the Inscriptions, the tomb dicovered by Alberto Ruz Lhuller in the 1950s. This discovery is one of hte milestones of unearthing Maya culture, a famous date in anthropological and archaeological circles. There's a stairway leading down from the temple floor, which was hidden by the ancient builders by fillint it with stones. The temple is pyramid-shaped, and the stairway leads down into the base of the pyramid. Ruz Lhuller himself is now buried here, near the spot where he discovered King Pacal's stone sarcophagus. Unfortunately, Temple of the Inscriptions may sometimes be closed to the public. Other temples at Palenque include Temple of the Foliated Cross, Temple of the Cross, Temple of the Sun, and Temple 14. These temples were built by King Pacal's son, Chan-Bahlum, who is usually depicted with six toes. This group of temples is situated along a pathway that leads between the Temple of the Inscriptions and the Palace. The Palace has a distinctive tower. Other buildings at the ruins include the Ball Court and Temple of the Count, named after Count Waldeck who camped here in the 1800s. There are numerous tombs here, with information about a lineage of at least 12 kings. |
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