Archaeology in and around Palenque

Archaeological zone of Palenque

With more than 200 structures of different sizes and complexity, and totally adapted to the region's topography, Palenque is unquestionably one of the most important Mayan archaeological sites. This place offers splendid ruins and beautiful sculptures and inscriptions dating back to the Classic period (400-700 AD). Among it most important constructions are:

Templo de las Inscripciones (Temple of the Inscriptions) - This is the third structure on the eastern end. It gets its name from the hieroglyphic inscriptions on the large panels that can be seen in the temple's entrance. They narrate the history of King Pakal, his ancestors, and their relationship to ancient Mayan gods. In 1952, archaeologist Alberto Ruiz discovered a stairway that leads to a chamber, where he discovered the tomb and funerary furnishings of King Pakal.

La Cripta (The Crypt) - Located beneath the Temple of the Inscriptions. To view the crypt, which lies about 1.5 meters (5 feet) below the surface, you will need to descend the stairs. When the tomb was discovered, archaeologists noticed that the last six steps formed a platform that was filled with offerings and a collective burial.

El Palacio (The Palace) - This group of buildings was built on an artificial platform that measures 80 by 100 meters (264 by 330 feet). The most notable construction is a four-sided tower with an interior column and a spiral staircase on the southwest side. It is the only construction of its kind built during the Classic period (400-700 AD). The three-tiered tower has an intermediary layer and a wide courtyard that encircles the main column. On the exterior, the walls are thick rectangular rubblework with large windows on each level. The walls and the staircases have stucco relieves, pictorial ornaments and hieroglyphs.

El Templo de la Cruz (Temple of the Cross) - Located on the northern end of Plaza del Sol, here you'll be able to see tombs, a monolith dubbed La Muerta (which depicts a person standing on a hieroglyph), two stone tablets with inscriptions, and 18 clay cylinders representing deities. One of the main characteristics of this edifice is that it does not have a façade, thus it allows you to see the main wall inside.

El Templo de la Cruz Foliada (Temple of the Foliated Cross) - Constructed atop the Cerro de Miramar (Miramar Hill), which lies north of Plaza del Sol, it has a battlement that surrounds the main wall and the indoor courtyard. Inside you will find three rooms; in the sanctum you will see a frieze with stucco fragments and three tombstones that form part of the Tablero de la Cruz Foliada (a cross with corn husks).

El Templo del Sol (Temple of the Sun) - Located at the western end of Plaza del Sol. In the sanctum of this structure you will see three limestone tablets depicting the image of the sun-shield king and beautifully carved narrative inscriptions. The main stucco frieze has the image of a person sitting down with a two-headed serpent in the background.


Archaeological zone of Yaxchilan

Yaxchilán is the prototype of a city lost in the jungle, located on the left hand shore of a capricious bend of the River Usumacinta, on a platform elevated about ten meters above the average level of the river; it occupies a central position in the Lacandona Jungle. This site dates back about 2000 years, when a group of men settled here and founded the first village which over of the centuries developed itself into one of the most beautiful and most powerful cities in the basin of the River Usumacinta. Yaxchilán had its most splendid years from 550 to 990 A.D.

The city's surface is very extensive, but the area that can be visited is currently limited to the Gran Plaza, the Gran Acropolis, La Acropolis Pequena and La Acropolis Sur. To get to the Gran Plaza you will pass Building #19, also known as the Labyrinth due to the complex distribution of its rooms. A lot of the structures still feature the lintels that reflect the dynastic history of this city. The ones at Buildings #12 and #22 are especially noteworthy. Other constructions still show wall paintings and inscriptions.

Apart from being able to satisfy your archaeological interest, you will be able to take some great pictures at this splendid scenery of high, evergreen jungles that shelter this magnificent place. Getting to this site requires a boat tour and might cause some physical inconveniences due to its remote location, but it is well worth it.


Archaeological zone of Bonampak

It is impossible to speak of Bonampak without mentioning its amazing natural surrounding in which the Mayas achieved to live in harmony and benefited from its virtually endless natural resources. It is one of the most impressive, complex and beautiful places to be found in the Northern American Hemisphere; nestled deeply in the heart of the Lacandona Jungle only the Gran Plaza and the Acropolis have been explored. Bonampak's discovery, one of the great achievements in the history of the archaeological exploration of Chiapas, allows us to see one of the major testimonies of the Mayan culture and the extraordinary concept of color and line of its painters.

Getting to this site requires some inconveniences and physical strength due to its remote location, but it is well worth it.


Archaeological zone of Tonina

The holy site of Tonina in the mountains of Chiapas is a place where one can almost physically feel the power of this pyramid structures that tower over the summit of a tree covered mountain range on the northern side of the Ocosingo valley. Over one thousand years of construction activity have created here a labyrinth of different eras, temples, palaces and stairways. Toniná's etymology means "Mansions of Stone". The height of this archaeological Mayan zone dates back to the end of the 6th century and beginning of the 10th century A.D; around the year 900 A.D. the acropolis at Tonina featured the largest dimensions in Neolithic Mexico.


Source: Mexican Tourism Board (www.visitmexico.com) & Hotel Villa Mercedes Palenque