*WS 93: Exploring the Mayan ruins at Palenque, Mexico*
Palenque is a famous Mayan ruin in south Mexico, also a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is dated to the period from 200 BC to 800 AD. After that it was lost to the jungle. The main structures which have since been recovered from the jungle include the palace and several temples. We were here in 2013.
The most impressive of the buildings is the Temple of the Inscriptions, constructed during the reign of King Pacal (615-683 AD). His tomb is also there. The pyramid measures about 60 m by 42 m at the base and is 27 m high. Above that is a temple 11.4 m high. It is on the cover page on the Lonely Planet guide on Mexico. A structure on the cover of "Lonely Planet", what more to say? 1st 3 photos.
The 4th photo shows 2 small temples at the edge of the jungle. The next 3 photos show structures of the palace, including a carved image of King Pacal. The last photo shows the design of carving on the lid of the sarcophagus of King Pacal. The original carving is of course colourless. This one shown is a printed souvenir item. In the bestselling 1968 non-friction "Chariots of the Gods" the author speculated that King Pacal was an "ancient astronaut" now ascending to the stars in his spaceship. Look like one?
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