Palenque

What Makes It Magical 

To the north of the state of Chiapas is the Magical Town of Palenque, where the city built by the Mayans stands. When you get here you will be beguiled by the series of waterfalls, the old metropolis, the lakes, and the great expanse of rainforest. As you delve deeper inside it, you will walk alongside Lacandon people, who will help you recognize plants, learn to identify animal tracks, identify birds and understand more about the relationship they have with their environment. 

Why You Should Go 

Palenque Archeological Site 

• This was one of the most important Mayan cities of the Classic period, alongside Tikal and Calakmul. 

• In 1952, the archeologist Alberto Ruz L’Huillier discovered the tomb of King Pakal inside the Temple of the Inscriptions.  

• Its ruins and the National Park that surrounds it were declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1987. 

• The site museum displays sculptures and carved tablets, clay figurines and funerary offerings. 

At the Very Least 

Appreciate the stairways, corridors, patios and underground passageways that once made The Palace one of the largest complexes on the archeological site.  

Don’t Miss 

1. Visit the Santo Domingo church, on one side of the town’s main square. 

2. Eat at Don Muchos, the El Panchán Touristic Center’s restaurant, on the route towards Palenque’s ruins. 

3. Visit the nearby town of Ocosingo and the Toniná archeological site.  

4. Walk through the Palenque Archeological Site and admire the Palace, one of the largest complexes on the archeological site.