The Maya Realm Of Palenque, Mexico

Acknowledged as one of the most captivating Maya sites, Palenque on the northwestern frontier of the Maya lowlands in modern Mexico, was initially occupied around 250 BC. At 12 years old, K’inich Janaab Pakal ( Great Sun Shield) took the throne in the year 615 and one of his projects was the renovation of the palace which dominates the Central Plaza.

The Temple of the Inscriptions commemorates Pakal’s tomb. It contains a huge stone sarcophagus whose lid is carved with a scene of his rebirth as the maize god after falling into the Underworld.

Palenque was one of the first Maya realms to fail. Its last known inscription dates to 799, and as royals and nobles abandoned the city, its residences and temples were occupied by squatters.