Palenque Travel Guide Tourist Attractions in Mexico

The Maya ruins of Palenque, are dramatically situated at the foot of the northernmost hills of the Chiapas highlands in Mexico. The Palenque ruins are widely regarded as the most atmospheric of all the Mayan sites in Mexico. Palenque’s monumental stone temples are famed for their architectural sophistication and fine sculptures, and are made even more interesting by the detailed knowledge of its history that archaeologists have recovered from its inscriptions.

Anciently known as Lakamha’s (“great water”), Palenque’s was already a regional capital between 300 BC and 250 AD. Much of what is known about Palenque rulers comes from the lengthy text found inside the Temple of the Inscriptions. This temple was built as a funerary monument for Pakal the Great, who recorded detailed information on three tables about his dynastic forebears. Because of these tablets we know that the Palenque dynasty was founded on March 10, 431 by K’uk’ Bahlam (“Quetzal Jaguar”). We also know that Palenque had a queen, Yohl Ik’nal, who reigned for some 20 years between 583 to 604.

The first European to visit the Palenque ruins was Priest Pedro Lorenzo de la Nada in 1567. By then the ruins were already abandoned for centuries and absorbed by the jungle.

The Mayan ruins are about 4 miles (6 km) from the town of Palenque and minibuses run between the town and ruins every 10 to 15 minutes during the day.