Situated where the highland and coastal plains join, the site prospered as an inland trade centre which allowed Palenque to control a large territory and form beneficial alliances with other powerful cities such as Tikal, Pomoná, and Tortuguero. Palenque is listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site.

Who built the city of Palenque?

It is a constructed monument built by King Pakal's first son. King Pakal was appointed the Ruler of Palenque by his mother, Queen Sak Kuk, at the age of 12 years old. Pakal the Great reigned in Palenque from 615 to 683 A.D. and was thought to be the most significant ruler of the city.

Why is Palenque so impressive?

It attracts thousands of visitors each year and is a testament to Maya ingenuity and knowledge. The particularly exciting thing about Palenque, beyond how impressive the structures look surrounded by the jungle, is that the hieroglyphs found there have informed scholars about hundreds of years of Maya history.