The corbel arches here are fully exposed, revealing how Palenque’s architects designed these buildings. A well-preserved inscribed tablet shows a king (probably Pakal) with a sun shield emblazoned on his chest, corn growing from his shoulder blades, and the sacred quetzal bird on his head.
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
0.16 MILES
Ancient Palenque stands at the precise point where the first hills rise out of the Gulf coast plain, and the dense jungle covering these hills forms an…
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Templo de las Inscripciones Group
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As you walk in from the entrance the vegetation suddenly peels away to reveal many of Palenque’s most magnificent buildings in one sublime vista. A line…
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Perhaps the most celebrated burial monument in the Americas, this is the tallest and most stately of Palenque’s buildings. Constructed on eight levels,…
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17.69 MILES
Thirty kilometers from Palenque, these 25m-high curtains of water aren't the most dramatic water features in the area, but the turquoise river pools make…
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Pakal’s son, Kan B’alam II, was a prolific builder, and soon after the death of his father started designing the temples of the Grupo de las Cruces…
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In the jungle south of the Grupo de las Cruces is the Southern Acropolis, where archaeologists have made some terrific finds in recent excavations. You…
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0.33 MILES
East of the Grupo Norte, the main path crosses Arroyo Otolum. Some 70m beyond the stream, a right fork will take you to Grupo C, a set of jungle-covered…
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In 1999, in Templo XIX, archaeologists made the most important Palenque find for decades: an 8th-century limestone platform with stunning carvings of…
Nearby Palenque attractions
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Between the Cruces group and the Acrópolis Sur, this temple contains a reproduction carved panel depicting Kan B’alam, standing with a spear, with a bound…
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Pakal’s son, Kan B’alam II, was a prolific builder, and soon after the death of his father started designing the temples of the Grupo de las Cruces…
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Steep steps climb to the Templo de la Cruz, the largest and most elegantly proportioned in Grupo de las Cruces. The stone tablet in the central sanctuary…
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In the jungle south of the Grupo de las Cruces is the Southern Acropolis, where archaeologists have made some terrific finds in recent excavations. You…
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The Templo del Sol, on the west side of the Acrópolis Sur plaza, has the best-preserved roofcomb at Palenque. Carvings inside, commemorating Kan B’alam’s…
0.07 MILES
In 1999, in Templo XIX, archaeologists made the most important Palenque find for decades: an 8th-century limestone platform with stunning carvings of…
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In 2002, archaeologists found a throne in Templo XXI with very fine carvings depicting Ahkal Mo’ Nahb', his ancestor the great Pakal, and his son U Pakal.