Palenque was one of the first Maya sites to be rediscovered by Western archeologists. Even so, only some of the buildings have been uncovered and fully restored. These fall in three groups, from the main public buildings on the hilltop to residential zones along the hillside and along the valley floor. It is possible to walk down from the hill along a pathway lined by waterfalls and small buildings, lacking the fabulous construction on the public structures but giving a better picture of the city that once stood here. The main plaza is filled with buildings unique to this city, influenced by many surrounding cultures. The tower uses construction methods unknown in the rest of the Maya world, and its rectangular shape with vertical walls is unprecidented. The human figures protrayed on stelae and other monuments are sometimes curiously out of proportion, depicted with shallower carving than those at Copan and with less detail. Many glyphs remain, however, making this a center of the decoding process.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Go to La Ruta Maya Photo Database Page