A Mayan City State
Palenque sits on a hillside plateau in Chiapas, Southern Mexico, surrounded by thick rainforest. Silence reigns supreme, broken only by the sounds of the spider monkeys at play.
Flourishing for over a millennium between 226 BCE to 799 CE, then not only did Palenque decline but the whole Mayan civilisation collapsed and disappeared for reasons that can only be theorised. For centuries Palenque was hidden; mother nature reclaiming her land, hiding the vast majestic ruins.
The Palace was used by the Mayan aristocracy for administrative functions, entertainment, and ritualistic (human sacrifices) ceremonies.
The Temple of Inscriptions, the tomb of King Pakal.The inscriptions within records approximately 200 years of the city's history.
The tomb had remained hidden for centuries until its discovery during excavations in 1952
How quickly the clouds can descend then rise again.
Mother nature still doing her thing, still encouraging her children to survive.
A stucco relief circa 670 CE, first discovered and sketched in an expedition of 1787
Big Climb
Templo de la Cruz, half way up, out of breath, steep uneven steps I am assured it will be worth it
The Palace observation tower, used for not only as a lookout post but also ceremonial purposes. looking from the top of the tower on the Winter Solstice, the sunsets directly behind the Tomb of Pakal, thus appearing to enter the underworld through the tomb
How it looked when first photographed in 1890
Just got to get the fuck down now!
Vegetation
Red gingers, bright colours to attract the pollinators
Crotons, beautiful variegated leaves a fantastic architectural plant
The stunning false bird of paradise, common through Central and Southern America.
.....and a couple of big leaves
Dream catchers and not dream catches
Excavations are ongoing with only approx. 1sq mile uncovered, it is estimated that less than 10% of the total area of the city has been found leaving more than a thousand structures still hidden in the jungle.
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