Visitors who come upon this majestic Mayan city, emerging from the jungle canopy and watched over by toucans and howler monkeys, feel as if they are the first to set eyes on it.
Though not the largest of its kind, the site has some impressive buildings. Of the few excavated, most notable are the Temple of Inscriptions, a palace with intriguing carvings, and an observatory.
Palenque (Spanish pronunciation: [pa’leŋke]; Yucatec Maya: Bàakʼ [ɓaːkʼ]), also anciently known in the Itza Language as Lakamhaʼ (“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 was 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 averages a humid 26°C (79°F) with roughly 2,160 millimeters (85 in) of rain a year. Wikipedia