ancient ruins
Palenque
A stunning Maya city set in the jungle of Chiapas, renowned for its elegant architecture, detailed sculptural work, and the tomb of the ruler Pakal the Great.
7 km · about 15 min drive
Chiapas, Mexico · North America
Palenque is worth a stop: 20 minutes from Doctor Samuel León Brindis, 7km from Palenque.
Palenque is a town located in Chiapas, Mexico. With a population of 42,947, it is an important destination in North America.
On a road trip, Palenque sits in Mexico, where you drive on the right. It's in the America/Merida time zone. Below you'll find where to stay, things to do nearby, and everything you need to add Palenque to your route.
Palenque (Spanish pronunciation: [pa'leŋke]; Yucatec Maya: Bàakʼ [ɓaːkʼ]), also anciently known in the Itzaʼ language as Lakamha ("big water" or "big waters"), was a Maya city-state in southern Mexico that perished in the 8th century. The Palenque ruins date from ca. 226 BC to ca. 799 AD. After its decline, it wasRead more
overgrown by the jungle of cedar, mahogany, and sapodilla trees, but has since been excavated and restored. It is located near the Usumacinta River in the Mexican state of Chiapas, about 130 km (81 mi) south of Ciudad del Carmen, 150 meters (490 ft) above sea level. It is adjacent to the modern town of Palenque, Chiapas. It averages a humid 26 °C (79 °F) with roughly 2,160 millimeters (85 in) of rain a year.
Palenque is a medium-sized site, smaller than Tikal, Chichen Itza, or Copán, but it contains some of the finest architecture, sculpture, roof comb and bas-relief carvings that the Mayas produced. Much of the history of Palenque has been reconstructed from reading the hieroglyphic inscriptions on the many monuments; historians now have a long sequence of the ruling dynasty of Palenque in the 5th century and extensive knowledge of the city-state's rivalry with other states such as Calakmul and Toniná. The most famous ruler of Palenque was Kʼinich Janaabʼ Pakal, or Pacal the Great, whose tomb has been found and excavated in the Temple of the Inscriptions. By 2005, the discovered area covered up to 2.5 km2 (0.97 sq mi), but it is estimated that less than 10% of the total area of the city is explored, leaving more than a thousand structures still covered by jungle. Palenque received 920,470 visitors in 2017.
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Palenque is located in Chiapas, Mexico, North America. The coordinates are 17.5091 latitude, -91.9813 longitude.
Palenque has a population of approximately 42,947 people, making it a town in Mexico.
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Essential numbers in Mexico
Green Angels (free tourist roadside assistance on federal highways): 078.
Full driving guide for Mexico3 notable places within an hour's drive.
ancient ruins
A stunning Maya city set in the jungle of Chiapas, renowned for its elegant architecture, detailed sculptural work, and the tomb of the ruler Pakal the Great.
7 km · about 15 min drive
waterfall
A spectacular 35-meter jungle waterfall plunging into a wide pool, with a hidden cave path behind the curtain of water.
16 km · about 20 min drive
waterfall
A series of brilliant turquoise waterfalls cascading over limestone terraces in the Chiapas jungle.
32 km · about 35 min drive
Year-round
Tropical latitude: plan around the wet season rather than temperature.
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