The Mayan empire stretched across the entire Yucatan peninsula, ruling over much of southern Mexico and northern Central America. Their reign lasted from about 2,000 BC, with some very early Mesoamerican remains dated to as old as 5,000 BC, to the arrival of Spanish Conquistadores in the 1500s. Though the Maya people and languages survived the massacres dealt by the soldiers, of their great civilization only fantastically large ruins remain, and archaeologists continue to excavate numerous historical sites, in order to further our understanding of this incredible people.
One of the sites that has become most influential and important to this understanding is that of Palenque, located in Chiapas, Mexico. Large teams of archaeologists and anthropologists working side-by-side to uncover the remains of this once-powerful city-state have excavated over 2.5 square kilometers of city, making it one of the most extensively-uncovered Mayan ruins in the world - but even this is estimated to be only about ten percent of the total urban structure concealed by jungle, with over a thousand buildings likely still hidden under vines, creepers, and moss.
The Palenque Site
About 130kn south of Ciudad del Carmen, the site of Palenque is recessed rather deeply within the jungle, although still accessible by road. On the way to the site, you'll no doubt feel a growing sense of distance from civilization, as modern life slips away behind a thick veil of hanging, flowering greenery. These are the same forests as the first Maya settlers of Palenque made their homes in, and one of your first glimpses of the ruins may be their majestic white and grey stones soaring majestically above the jungle's thick, verdant canopy.
Infiltrated by the Forest
In the hundreds of years since Palenque's abandonment to the creeping jungle flora, the city and its forest surroundings have become almost inextricably intertwined. Between crack and crevice, a variety of grasses, vines, and flowers not flourish, posing a problem for archaeologists, but providing a wonderful example of nature's resilience for the rest of us.
Palenque is famous as one of the best sites yet uncovered for Maya pottery, writing, and handcrafts. Hundreds of pristine artifacts have been recovered at the site, and the buildings at Palenque include temples covered from floor to ceiling with hieroglyphics, an extensive palace with several buildings and grounds, and many finely-wrought bas-relief carvings. A three-meter-tall aqueduct serves as testimony to the engineering prowess of its constructors; all in all, even the small amount of Palenque that has been excavated is a treasure trove of data for those studying the Mayan culture, a once-in-a-lifetime glimpse backwards into humanity's no-so-distant past.
Though the traditional interpretation for the end of the current cycle in the Mayan calendar falls on December 22, 2012, Palenque's priests had a different forecast, predicting that a new era of peace and understanding would overtake humanity in the very distant future of 4772 AD. Palenque's greatest King Pascal was foretold to regain his throne on that date, presiding over humanity's succession into the next phase of spiritual harmony and enlightenment.
One of the sites that has become most influential and important to this understanding is that of Palenque, located in Chiapas, Mexico. Large teams of archaeologists and anthropologists working side-by-side to uncover the remains of this once-powerful city-state have excavated over 2.5 square kilometers of city, making it one of the most extensively-uncovered Mayan ruins in the world - but even this is estimated to be only about ten percent of the total urban structure concealed by jungle, with over a thousand buildings likely still hidden under vines, creepers, and moss.
The Palenque Site
About 130kn south of Ciudad del Carmen, the site of Palenque is recessed rather deeply within the jungle, although still accessible by road. On the way to the site, you'll no doubt feel a growing sense of distance from civilization, as modern life slips away behind a thick veil of hanging, flowering greenery. These are the same forests as the first Maya settlers of Palenque made their homes in, and one of your first glimpses of the ruins may be their majestic white and grey stones soaring majestically above the jungle's thick, verdant canopy.
Infiltrated by the Forest
In the hundreds of years since Palenque's abandonment to the creeping jungle flora, the city and its forest surroundings have become almost inextricably intertwined. Between crack and crevice, a variety of grasses, vines, and flowers not flourish, posing a problem for archaeologists, but providing a wonderful example of nature's resilience for the rest of us.
Palenque is famous as one of the best sites yet uncovered for Maya pottery, writing, and handcrafts. Hundreds of pristine artifacts have been recovered at the site, and the buildings at Palenque include temples covered from floor to ceiling with hieroglyphics, an extensive palace with several buildings and grounds, and many finely-wrought bas-relief carvings. A three-meter-tall aqueduct serves as testimony to the engineering prowess of its constructors; all in all, even the small amount of Palenque that has been excavated is a treasure trove of data for those studying the Mayan culture, a once-in-a-lifetime glimpse backwards into humanity's no-so-distant past.
Though the traditional interpretation for the end of the current cycle in the Mayan calendar falls on December 22, 2012, Palenque's priests had a different forecast, predicting that a new era of peace and understanding would overtake humanity in the very distant future of 4772 AD. Palenque's greatest King Pascal was foretold to regain his throne on that date, presiding over humanity's succession into the next phase of spiritual harmony and enlightenment.
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Read more about the lost Mayans civilization on Onejungle: Mayan History Articles. In case you're looking to visit Myaan Ruins try Mayan Ruins Mexico.
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