Day 84
Palenque
Full day
Templo de las Inscripciones
A stepped pyramid crowned by a sanctuary whose panels carry 617 glyphs, one of the longest known Maya texts. K'inich Janaab' Pakal had it built as his own mausoleum, an exceptional thing in Mesoamerica. From 1948 Alberto Ruz Lhuillier cleared an internal stairway going down to the burial chamber and its sarcophagus lid in jade mosaic, the most famous piece of Maya art.
El Palacio and its tower
A labyrinth of courtyards, corbel-vaulted galleries and stucco panels, topped by a four-story tower, unique in the Maya world, probably an observatory. An underground aqueduct runs beneath the main square.
Grupo de las Cruces
Three pyramids raised around 692 by Kan Bahlam II, son of Pakal: Templo de la Cruz, Templo de la Cruz Foliada and Templo del Sol. Each holds a carved panel where the ruler receives power from a deity. Read together, the three texts link the mythical origin of the world to the king's political legitimacy.
Templo del Conde and Grupo Norte
The Templo del Conde owes its name to the count of Waldeck, who lived there for several months in 1832. The Grupo Norte closes the square to the north, on the edge of the forest.
Good to know
Arrive at opening: the mist rises from the forest in the early morning and that is the best moment, before the clammy heat of midday. Pakal's tomb is not open to the public. Less than 10 percent of the city has been cleared, the rest is under the vegetation, which you can hear from the howler monkeys all around. Two successive ticket desks, park then INAH zone.
