Palenque

Palenke is the ruins of the ancient city of Maya, located in the northeastern part of Chiapas in Mexico. The second name of the city of Lakamha, translated as "Great Water".

The city flourished until the 3-8th century when it was the Mayan cultural and political center, but then it fell into decay due to the numerous raids of neighboring tribes and was absorbed by the jungle. The film is smaller than Tikal, Chichen-Itsa, but it has some of the best architectural, sculptural, bas-relief threads and elements that the Mayans have ever produced. Most of Palenke’s history was restored after reading hieroglyphic inscriptions on many monuments. Historians now have a long sequence of the ruling Palenque dynasty and extensive knowledge of the rivalry of the city with its neighbors.

Europeans learned about the city in the 18th century from the stories of local residents, and in 1784 they sent an expedition to the jungle during which they created the first map of the city, studied bas-reliefs and sculptures. In subsequent years, scientists studied sculptures, documented finds and decrypted inscriptions. During the decoding, it turned out that the most significant of all the rulers of the city was Pakal the Great, in which most of the temples and palaces were built. Under his rule, even Tikal surpassed the level of influence of the city. After his death, he was placed in a sarcophagus, in which they put a huge collection of jade and gold jewelry, his face was decorated with a jade mask, put on a jade suit with gold wire. According to the abundance of jewelry, the Pakal tomb was the richest of those found at that time.

Of high value to archaeologists is the "charm of inscriptions", where 617 characters were applied along the walls and stairs, telling about the life of the city for two hundred years. The temple is made in the form of a nine-level pyramid 24 meters high, to the top of which there is a staircase divided into 4 platforms. On top there is a hidden tunnel to the tomb of Pakal. The ruler was placed in a huge sarcophagus from a single piece of stone of 15 tons of weights and covered with a plate weighing 5 tons from above. The sarcophagus cover adorns the resurrection scene of Pakal.

The palace of the ruler of the city of Palenque, decorated with numerous sculptures and bas-reliefs, is also noteworthy. A four-story observation tower rises above the palace. It is also worth looking at the Temple of the Skull, the Temple of the Jaguar, the Temple of the Earl.