Palenque is one of the westernmost Maya cities. It is located in Chiapas (Mexico) in the lower Usumacinta basin which forms the western periphery of the Maya Lowlands (see map). The environment is a mountainous tropical forest that receives the most rainfall in the Lowlands (figs. 1, 2).

In its organization, the monumental center of Palenque is the contrary of Copán. The central part of the city is a Palace that served as the residence of the royal family (fig. 3) while the pyramid-temples are peripheral (fig. 4). In fact, the alignment of the pyramid-temples seems to form a triangulation around the Palace. Beyond the monumental center there is a vast residential area with an aqueduct system that suggests a greater urban organization than elsewhere in the Maya Lowlands.

The dynasty of Palenque begins in A.D. 431with the founder K'uk' Balam. But the most famous ruler of Palenque was Janaab Pacal who acceded to the throne in A.D. 615. He is responsible for the main architectural innovations of the city, the expansion of the kingdom by several military conquests and the construction of many monuments including the building C of the Palace which was his reception hall and the Temple of Inscriptions which became his tomb.

Fig. 1: Panoramic vue of Palenque.

Fig. 2: Environment of Palenque.

In A.D. 654, Palenque was attacked by Calakmul and many monuments were destroyed but Janaab Pacal survived. After his death in A.D. 683, his son Kan Balam acceded to the throne. He commemorated the event in A.D. 692 with the construction of the Triad composed of the Temple of the Cross, the Temple of the Sun and the Temple of the Foliated Cross. The second son of Jaanab Pacal, Kan Chitam, inherited the succession in A.D. 702. He built Temple XIV and gave the Palace its last form with various additions like "T" shaped windows and a tower.

Fig. 3: Plan of the monumental center of Palenque. (after Robertson 1983)

Fig. 4: Plan of the Palace. (after Robertson 1985)