Palenque facts for kids
Collage of Palenque
|
|
 Location in Mesoamerica
|
|
| Alternative name | Bàakʼ, Lakamha |
|---|---|
| Location | Palenque, Chiapas, Mexico |
| Region | Chiapas |
| Coordinates | 17°29′03″N 92°02′47″W / 17.48417°N 92.04639°W |
| History | |
| Founded | 226 BC |
| Abandoned | 799 AD |
| Periods | Late Preclassic to Early Postclassic |
| Cultures | Maya civilization |
| Site notes | |
| UNESCO World Heritage Site | |
| Official name | Pre-Hispanic City and National Park of Palenque |
| Criteria | Cultural: i, ii, iii, iv |
| Inscription | 1987 (11th Session) |
| Area | 1,772 ha |
The city of Palenque also is home to the Temple of the Inscriptions; inside lies the Sarcophagus of Pacal the Great. |
|
Palenque (pronounced pa-LEN-kay) was an important Maya city in southern Mexico. Its ancient name was Lakamha, meaning "big water." This amazing city was built around 226 BC and was left empty by 799 AD.
After the city was abandoned, the Lacandon Jungle grew over it. Trees like cedar and mahogany covered the ancient buildings. But now, many parts have been uncovered and fixed up. Palenque is in the Mexican state of Chiapas, near the Usumacinta River. It's about 150 meters (490 feet) above sea level.
Palenque is not as big as some other Maya cities like Tikal. However, it has some of the most beautiful buildings and carvings the Maya people ever made. We know a lot about Palenque's history from the carvings on its monuments. These carvings tell us about the kings who ruled and how the city fought with other states.
The most famous ruler was Kʼinich Janaabʼ Pakal, also known as Pakal the Great. His tomb was found and explored in the Temple of the Inscriptions. As of 2005, only about 2.5 square kilometers (1 square mile) of the city had been explored. Experts believe that over a thousand buildings are still hidden in the jungle! In 2017, nearly a million people visited Palenque.
Contents
History of Palenque
The early history of Palenque is a bit of a mystery. Ancient texts mention different leaders and groups. One important early leader was Kʼukʼ Bahlam I, who started the Palenque royal family.
Many of the famous buildings we see today were built after attacks from another city called Calakmul. These attacks happened in 599 and 611 AD.
Pakal the Great and His Family
One of the most important people who helped rebuild Palenque was Kʼinich Janaabʼ Pakal. He is also known as Pakal the Great. He ruled for a long time, from 615 to 683 AD. Pakal is famous because his tomb was found inside the Temple of the Inscriptions. This tomb had many treasures and long carvings.
When Pakal's tomb was found, it was the richest and best-preserved ancient burial in the Americas. It showed how important Maya kings were. The carvings at Palenque have helped experts learn a lot about Maya history. They even helped create the first list of rulers for a Maya city.
Palenque's Rulers
Here are some of the known rulers of Palenque:
- Kʼukʼ Bahlam I 431–c.435 AD
- "Casper" 435–c.487 AD
- Bʼutz Aj Sak Chiik 487–c.501 AD
- Ahkal Moʼ Nahb I 501–524 AD
- Kʼan Joy Chitam I 529–565 AD
- Ahkal Moʼ Nahb II 565–570 AD
- Kan Bahlam I 572–583 AD
- Yohl Ikʼnal 583–604 AD (female ruler)
- Ajen Yohl Mat 605–612 AD
- Sak Kʼukʼ 612–615 AD (female ruler)
- Kʼinich Janaabʼ Pakal I 615–683 AD
- Kʼinich Kan Bahlam II 684–702 AD
- Kʼinich Kʼan Joy Chitam II 702–711 AD
- Kʼinich Ahkal Moʼ Nahb III 721–c.736 AD
- Kʼinich Janaab Pakal II c.742 AD
- Kʼinich Kan Bahlam III c.751 AD
- Kʼinich Kʼukʼ Bahlam II 764–c.783 AD
- Janaab Pakal III 799–? AD
Early Years and Challenges
The first known king of Palenque was Kʼuk Balam, who ruled starting in 431 AD. After him, a king nicknamed "Casper" by archaeologists took power. Later kings were proud to be related to Ahkal Moʼ Naab I, who was a very respected ruler.
In 583 AD, a queen named Yohl Ikʼnal became ruler. During her time, soldiers from Calakmul attacked and looted Palenque in 599 AD. Calakmul won again in 611 AD, causing a lot of trouble for Palenque.
Palenque's Golden Age
After these defeats, Palenque faced a difficult time. Some important religious events were not held. It seemed like the city had lost its leaders.
Then, a woman named Sak Kʼukʼ became queen in 612 AD. She ruled for three years until her son was old enough. Her son was Pakal the Great. He became king at just 12 years old in 615 AD. His mother, Sak Kʼukʼ, helped him rule for the first 25 years.
Pakal the Great brought Palenque to its greatest glory. Most of the palaces and temples were built during his long rule. The city grew and became more powerful than even Tikal. The main building, called The Palace, was made bigger many times. During this time, Palenque made friends with Tikal and Yaxchilan. Together, they captured six enemy kings.
When Pakal died in 683 AD, his son Kʼinich Kan Bʼalam II became king. He finished building his father's famous tomb. Pakal's sarcophagus (stone coffin) held many jade treasures, including a jade mask and a suit made of jade pieces.
Kan Bʼalam II also started new building projects, like the Group of the Crosses. His brother, Kʼinich Kʼan Joy Chitam II, took over in 702 AD and continued the building work. Thanks to these three kings, Palenque enjoyed a century of growth and beauty.
The End of Palenque
In 711 AD, Palenque was attacked again, this time by the city of Toniná. King Kʼinich Kʼan Joy Chitam II was captured. We don't know what happened to him, but he was likely killed. For 10 years, Palenque had no king.
A new king, Kʼinich Ahkal Moʼ Nab' III, was crowned in 722 AD. He was from the royal family but might not have been the direct heir. This suggests there was a change in how kings were chosen. The war with Toniná continued, and Palenque suffered more defeats.
Sometimes, women ruled Maya cities. Lady Sak Kuk ruled Palenque for at least three years. However, female rulers were often shown with male features in art. This was because they took on roles usually held by men.
By the 8th century, Palenque, like many other Maya cities, began to struggle. No new important buildings were constructed after 800 AD. People continued to live there for a while, but then the city was abandoned. The jungle slowly took over. When the Spanish arrived in the 1520s, very few people lived in the area.
Amazing Buildings and Art
Palenque has many impressive structures. Here are some of the most important ones:
Temple of the Inscriptions
The Temple of the Inscriptions was built as the tomb for Pakal the Great. It has the second-longest Maya writing found anywhere. This writing tells about 180 years of the city's history. It also describes Pakal's religious ceremonies.
The pyramid is about 60 meters (197 feet) wide and 27.2 meters (89 feet) high. The temple on top is also very large. Some of the stones used weigh 12 to 15 tons!
In 1952, archaeologist Alberto Ruz Lhuillier found a secret passage in the temple. It led down a long stairway to Pakal's tomb. The tomb had a huge carved stone coffin and beautiful stucco sculptures on the walls. A special tube, called a psychoduct, went from the tomb up to the temple. This might have been a way for Pakal's soul to leave his body. This discovery showed that Maya pyramids were not just temples but also burial places.
The lid of Pakal's coffin shows him as the Maya maize god. He is shown coming out of the underworld. The temple also has a mysterious duct that might line up with the winter solstice sun.
Temples of the Cross Group
The Temple of the Cross, Temple of the Sun, and Temple of the Foliated Cross are beautiful temples on top of stepped pyramids. Each has detailed carvings inside. These carvings show two figures offering items to a central image.
Experts now believe the carvings show King Kʼinich Kan Bʼahlam at two different ages. One shows him as a six-year-old boy, and the other as a 48-year-old king. The "cross-like" images in the carvings actually show the tree of creation from Maya stories.
The Palace
The Palace is a large group of connected buildings and courtyards. It was built over 400 years by many generations of Maya people. The Maya nobles used the Palace for government work, parties, and religious events. It is right in the middle of the ancient city.
Inside the Palace, you can see many sculptures and carvings. The most unique part of the Palace is its four-story tower, called The Observation Tower. Many buildings here have a special roof shape. The A-shaped corbel arch is a common design. These arches need a lot of stone and create tall, narrow hallways.
The Palace had many large baths and saunas. Fresh water came from a clever water system. An aqueduct, made of huge stone blocks, carried the Otulum River under the main plaza. The Palace is the biggest building in Palenque, measuring 97 by 73 meters (318 by 240 feet).
Other Interesting Buildings
- The Temple of the Skull has a skull carved on one of its pillars.
- Temple XIII held the Tomb of the Red Queen. This was an unknown noblewoman, possibly Pakal's wife. Her remains were covered in a bright red powder.
- The Temple of The Jaguar is named for a carving of a king sitting on a jaguar throne.
- Structure XII has a carving of the God of Death.
- Temple of the Count is named after an early explorer, Jean-Frédéric Waldeck, who claimed to be a count and lived there.
Palenque also has other temples, tombs, and homes. There's even a court for playing the Mesoamerican ballgame. A stone bridge crosses the Otulum River below the aqueduct.
Discovering Palenque Today
After being forgotten for centuries, people started paying attention to Palenque again in the late 1700s. Early explorers like Antonio Bernasconi and Colonel Antonio del Río made the first maps and drawings. Their reports were published in books, showing the world these amazing ruins.
Juan Galindo visited in 1831. He was the first to notice that the people in Palenque's ancient art looked like local Native Americans. Before this, some thought the city was built by people from far away lands.
Désiré Charnay took the first photographs of Palenque in 1858. Later, Alfred Maudslay made detailed photos, maps, and molds of the carvings. His work set a high standard for future studies.
From 1949 to 1952, Alberto Ruz Lhuillier led important excavations. He was the first person in over a thousand years to see Pakal the Great's tomb! He worked for four years at the Temple of the Inscriptions before finding it.
Since the 1970s, archaeologists have continued to explore Palenque. They estimate that only about 5% of the entire city has been uncovered. There's still so much more to find!
In 2010, researchers found that the Piedras Bolas Aqueduct was a pressurized water system. This was the earliest known one in the New World. It pushed water up to 6 meters (20 feet) high!
In June 2022, archaeologists found a 1,300-year-old stucco head statue in a pond. They believe it shows a young Hun Hunahpu, the Maya maize god. The Maya likely placed it there to represent the entrance to the underworld. They also filled the pond with animal remains and other items.
Ancient Fossils at Palenque
Scientists have found many well-preserved fossils of ocean fish and other sea creatures in the limestone used to build the temples at Palenque. These fossils are from a time shortly after the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event, which wiped out the dinosaurs. They show how ocean life started to recover.
These fossils include some of the earliest modern reef fish. Even though the area was close to where the Chicxulub meteor hit, a diverse ocean ecosystem still existed. The Maya people who lived here seemed to know about these fossils. They even collected them and sometimes cut the stone slabs to show them off better. This makes them some of the earliest known paleontologists!
Palenque National Park
Palenque National Park was created in 1981 by the Mexican government. It covers about 17.72 square kilometers (6.84 square miles). This park protects the ancient city and the nearby hills. It even has a place for families to camp.
See also
In Spanish: Zona arqueológica de Palenque para niños
- List of Mesoamerican pyramids
- List of megalithic sites
- Maya script
- Temple 20
