Palenque

Palenque is a Classic-period Maya city in the rainforest foothills of Chiapas, in southern Mexico, roughly 8 kilometers from the modern town of Palenque along the Carretera Palenque-Zona Arqueológica. The site flourished in the 7th century under the ruler K'inich Janaab' Pakal, known as Pakal the Great, and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Its centerpiece is the Temple of the Inscriptions, a stepped pyramid of nine levels that holds the only tomb found inside a Maya pyramid in Mexico; the burial chamber itself is closed to visitors, and finds from it are shown in Mexico City and the site museum. Opposite stands the Palace, a complex of courtyards, galleries and a four-story tower from which the surrounding jungle can be surveyed, along with carved stucco and stone panels. The Temple of the Sun, Temple of the Cross and Temple of the Foliated Cross form a group on the southern side with some of the finest relief carving and hieroglyphic texts in the Maya world. Paths continue into the forest to the Northern Group, the Ball Court and a small stream with stepped cascades. Most visitors spend three to four hours, and the site is best entered early, when mist hangs over the canopy and howler monkeys and toucans are active near the paths. Tour buses from Villahermosa and San Cristóbal de las Casas generally arrive from late morning, so the main plaza is quietest from 8:00 AM until about 10:30 AM. The best overall photograph of the Temple of the Inscriptions is taken from the steps of the Palace tower or from the Temple of the Count across the stream. The site museum, a short walk from the exit, displays stucco heads, jade offerings and ceramics. Adult admission is about $95 MXN, with children under 13 free, and the waterfalls of Misol-Ha and Agua Azul are commonly combined in the same day.