Palenque Part 2: Pakal the Great and the City of Snakes

Bust of Pakal the Great, found at Palenque. The photos in this posting include some I took at the Palenque ruins, some at the Palenque museum, and a few from the great National Museum of Anthropology of Chapultepec Park in Mexico City. In this second of my 2-part series on Palenque, I will focus on the Maya city's greatest ruler, as well as some of the the wonderful architecture he and his sons caused to be built. The civilizations of the Olmecs and Teotihuacan, both of which have been shown previously in this blog, continue to be great mysteries due to a lack of a written Teotihuacan language, and the failure (to date) to translate such Olmec writings as survive.

That we know so much about Pakal and his predecessors and descendants is due to the highly sophisticated Maya writing system and calendar. This writing system was only translated in the 1970s, after centuries of unsuccessful efforts. Ironically, the person who was in great part responsible for deciphering the Maya language was not an archaeologist or cryptographer, but Dr. Linda Schele, an art historian. Until then, all we knew of the ancient Maya people was their mastery of art and architecture. When the Maya hieroglyphics were deciphered, a curtain was suddenly lifted on centuries of history. Real individuals emerged from the mists shrouding the ruined cities of the Maya jungles, revealing people who lived and died, achieved great things and met profound defeats. For a map of the major Palenque sites I describe in this posting, click here.

Temple of the Skull marks the beginning of the great plaza at Palenque. This temple (also known as Temple XII) sits on a large platform that runs to your left along the base of the heavily jungled hill behind it. It is is the first of a row of three great structures, the next of which may be the tomb of Pakal's mother, known as Temple XIII, and then Pakal's tomb, known as the Temple of the Inscriptions. The Temple of the Skull got its ominous name from a stone rabbit's skull carved on one of the temple supports. It is also known as the Temple of the Dying Moon, because a dead rabbit was associated in the ancient Maya mind with the waning (or "dying") moon. The base of this pyramid probably dates to the 6th Century AD. The Temple of the Skull was built on top of the earlier base sometime in the 8th Century AD. A grave found in the earlier structure contained over 700 pieces of jade, a semi-precious stone highly valued by the Maya and typically worn by people of very high status. Although it is not one of the larger and more imposing temples at Palenque, the envelopment of the Temple of the Skull by the looming jungle was evocative of every "lost city" tale I can remember.

Temple of the Red Queen. It is believed by some that the remains of the woman found in this tomb belong to Sak K'uk, mother of Pakal. Under Palenque dynastic custom, women could only rule when there was no male heir. Sak K'uk's husband, Muwaan Mat, died before his young son was old enough to rule, and so Sak K'uk ruled for 3 years until K'inich Janab, known as Pakal or Sun Shield, became 12 years old. In the administrative and ceremonial center called the Palace, seen in Part 1 of this series, a bas relief wall carving shows Sak K'uk presenting Pakal with an elaborate head dress, apparently at his coronation. He seems to have revered his mother, and may have built this tomb for her next to his own. Whatever the real identity of the tomb's occupant, she was an extremely important person to have such a monument. She was found covered by red cinnabar (hence the name), and dressed in fine jade jewelry. The bodies of a young woman and a child lay next to her crypt, apparently ritually killed so they could assist her in the afterlife. The tomb wasn't discovered until 1994, a demonstration that Palenque, of which only 10% has been fully excavated, has many more surprises in store.

Temple of the Inscriptions, tomb of K'inich Janab, the Great Pakal. This temple is sited just to the left (east) of Sak K'uk's tomb. It is the largest and most impressive structure in Palenque, with the possible exception of the Palace. Once crowned, Pakal became the Ajaw, or ruler, of Palenque on July 29, 615 AD. He ruled for 68 years, dying in 683 AD at the ripe old age of 80, extraordinary longevity for a man of his time.

The earliest settlement of Palenque was around 300 BC, but until 600 AD, the community was rather unexceptional. The name "Palenque" is a Spanish term meaning palisade or stockade, and refers to post-Conquest Maya descriptions of the jungle ruins as "strong houses." The original Maya name for Palenque is Na Chan Kan, which means City of Snakes. K'uk Balam became Ajaw in 431 AD. He founded a dynasty with 16 successors which lasted until the beginning of the 9th Century AD. In 611, Palenque suffered a great disaster when it was invaded and sacked by the neighboring city of Calakmul. The next year, Pakal's mother came to the throne, and Palenque's golden age began. The reigns of Pakal and his two sons K'inich Kan B'ahlam II (Ajaw from 684-702 AD), and K'inich K'an Joy Chitam II (Ajaw from 702-720 AD), lasted altogether for more than 100 years. During this period Palenque flowered in art and architecture as never before. Finally, however, another neighboring Maya city called Toniná defeated and invaded Palenque at the end of K'inich K'an Joy Chitam's reign. As the 8th Century wore on, Palenque began to fade. The 17th Ajaw of the dynasty, Wak Kimi Janab Pakal, the last recorded Ajaw of Palenque, took the throne November 17, 799. In the following century, Palenque declined rapidly, with ritual activity ceasing in 810 AD. By 900 AD, the city was abandoned to the encroaching jungle.

Cutaway of the Temple of Inscriptions, showing stairway to Pakal's tomb. Various Spanish, European, and American explorers visited Palenque's ruins after the Conquest, beginning with Fray Pedro Lorenzo in 1567. Later, various military detachments stopped there briefly. Still later came adventurers such as "Count" Waldek in the 1830's. Probably the most important visit was by the famous team of John Stephens, an American travel writer and Frederick Catherwood, and English artist. These last two are credited with bringing the ancient Maya civilization back to life with their book "Incidents of Travel in Central America and Yucatan", published in 1841.

The investigation of Palenque took off after that. In 1952, a Mexican archaeologist named Alberto Ruz Lhuillier was puzzled by some strange plugs he noticed in the stone floor at the top the Temple of Inscriptions. Investigating further, he found a hatch in the floor which concealed a hidden staircase leading down into the temple. After two years of laborious excavation, he became the first human being in over 1000 years to view the hidden crypt and remains of the Great Pakal himself. The cutaway above shows the route of the staircase down to the very base of the Temple of Inscriptions. Archaeologists later realized that the crypt was built first and then the Temple was constructed over it. After Pakal was interred, several young men were sacrificed in the crypt to help him into the underworld, and the stairway was carefully filled with rubble and sealed at the top.

Pakal's sarcophagus. The heavy stone box is beautifully carved, as are the walls of the crypt. Carved bas relief images of Maya warriors and gods surrounded Pakal on all sides. The thousands of visitors to the crypt caused considerable wear and tear, so tourists have now been barred. The Mexican government created exact reproductions of the crypt and its contents which are on display at the Palenque Museum and the Museum of Anthropology in Mexico City. The sarcophagus shown above is a reproduction in the Palenque Museum.

Closeup of the lid of Pakal's sarcophagus. The lid is huge and thick and weighs several tons. The only way it could be opened was with automobile jacks, an inch at a time. The intricate carving shows a serene Pakal falling into the mouth of a monster who represents the underworld. The discovery of Pakal's crypt is at least equal in significance to that of Tut Ankh Amun ("King Tut") of Egypt. Until then, it wasn't clear whether the great ruler was real or simply a mythological figure.

Closeup of a Maya warrior on the side of the sarcophagus. Every detail of a carving such as this had deep religious and political meaning to the Maya, some of it known, much of it still a mystery.

Pakal's last resting place. Ruz Lhuillier slid the lid back, and Pakal was revealed inside, covered with a red powder and richly adorned with jade finery. Pakal's actual remains and the jewelry are now in the Museum of Anthropology in Mexico City. In the background of the picture, a warrior god stands guard. One of these gods adorned each wall of the crypt.

Pakal's exquisite jade death mask and jewelry. The death mask is amazingly lifelike and detailed. The earrings with the long plugs were very much the fashion for important characters in Pakal's time. To read about a great Maya ruler from the ancient past is one thing, to view his remains and the objects he actually touched or wore is an entirely different experience. Photo from the Museum of Anthropology in Mexico City.

Jade bracelets and rings adorned Pakal's wrists and fingers. In the palms of Pakal's hands Ruz Lhuillier found strange circular and rectangular objects with a mysterious religious significance. Photo from the Museum of Anthropology in Mexico City.

Temple of the Foliated Cross. Pakal's oldest son, K'inich K'an Bahlam II, launched his own building program. After completing his father's tomb, K'an Bahlam (sometimes called Chan Balam) began work on another group of tomb/temples. These are called the Cross Group by modern archaeologists. The Cross Group surrounds a plaza atop a small plateau just above and to the east of the great plaza where the Temple of the Inscriptions and the Palace are located. Unlike some other Meso-American cities like Teotihuacan, Maya cities were never built in a grid pattern. Palenque has an organic appearance, being molded into the existing terrain in a way that is very pleasing to the eye.

Above, the Temple of the Foliated Cross sits on top of a pyramid now covered with grass and jungle. The front section has fallen away, giving a view of its interior construction. All three of the major temples of the Cross Group are laid out in a similar pattern. The name of this temple comes from a cross carved on a tablet inside. To the Maya, a cross symbolized the Ceiba, or the Tree of Life which connects the underworld with its roots to the heavens with its broad canopy. Representations of K'an Bahlam (Maize Jaguar) are present in each of the three temples. In the Temple of the Foliated Cross, he is shown as a boy. His name, Maize Jaguar, evokes two of the most powerful Maya symbols. Maize was the economic underpinning of the entire Maya world, and the jaguar was the jungle's largest and most powerful predator (aside from Man).

Temple of the Sun. Directly facing the Temple of the Foliated Cross is the Temple of the Sun, with the best preserved roof comb of any structure in Palenque. Roof combs were a unique aspect of Maya architecture. The purpose of a roof comb is not entirely clear, but it contained political and religious symbolism. K'an Bahlam appears as a young man in this temple's bas reliefs. He is accompanied by an older adult figure, which may represent his father Pakal the Great, or himself as an adult. Between the young man and the older one is a shield with the face of a jaguar sun, representing the god of war and of the underworld. This temple commemorates K'an Bahlam's accession as Ajaw of Palenque in 684 AD.

Temple XIV was the little brother's gift to the site. To the right of the Temple of the Sun is the modestly named Temple XIV. It was built by K'inich K'an Joy Chitam II, the younger brother of K'an Bahlam. He ruled only 9 years and was captured by the invaders from Toniná, who may have taken him back to their city to be sacrificed. On the other hand, there is some evidence he may have still been around in 720 to dedicate some additions to the Palace. The record is unclear. A number of human sacrifices have been discovered immediately around this temple.

The Temple of the Cross, the largest of the Cross Group. While the Temple of the Foliated Cross shows K'an Bahlam as a boy and is associated with maize and agriculture, and the Temple of the Sun shows him as a young man and is associated with war and the underworld, the Temple of the Cross represents K'an Bahlam as an older man and associates him with the deity Chaak.

Closeup of the Temple of the Cross and its roof comb. The Temple of the Cross is the largest of the Cross Group and the third largest structure in Palenque, after the Temple of the Inscriptions and the Palace. From the top, one can view most of the major structures in Palenque and the broad plains of the Usumacinta River Valley stretching out to the north. Inside the temple is a sanctuary tablet showing K'an Bahlam facing his father Pakal, separated by the cross representing the Ceiba Tree of Life. The existence of the cross as a central symbol in Maya mythology made it somewhat easier for Spanish priests to make the connection to the Christian cross, and indoctrinate the Maya into Catholicism.

The monster-god Chaak, inside the Temple of the Cross. This was the ruling deity of the temple. It is somewhat worn, but retains its wide-eyed and rather fearsome aspect. By associating themselves closely with Maya gods, the Ajaws tried to appear divine themselves and thus justify their rule.

K'inich K'an Bahlam II, bas relief in the Temple of the Cross. He appears older here than in the other two temples he built. In building these three temples on a height overlooking his city, K'an Bahlam created a major ceremonial center around himself, focused on his connection with various important gods and major Maya symbols such as maize, the sun jaguar of the underworld, and the Ceiba tree. A modern politician would immediately recognize the desirability of connecting oneself with important religious, cultural and political symbols. No doubt K'an Bahlam's architectural additions to Palenque impressed his people and visiting dignitaries from other Maya cities. They certainly impressed me.

The Ball Court. The Ball Court and the games played here were important not only in the Maya culture, but throughout Meso-America from the earliest days of the Olmecs through the Aztecs at the time of the Spanish Conquest. The Ball Court was associated with the god of maize and the underworld. The games themselves were re-enactments of the victory of the Maya Hero Twins over the gods of the underworld, and the freeing of the god of maize who came to the surface and gave the Maya the gift of corn. This court is the only one in Palenque and is one of the oldest in the Maya world. It appeared unusually narrow until I realized that the low platforms on either side of the narrow lane in the middle were part of the playing field too. No one knows for sure what the rules were. Human sacrifice appears to have played a role. It may have been the captain of the losing side, or maybe his whole team, who became the victims for the sharp obsidian knives of the temple priests.

The Count's Temple. This temple became the temporary home for the self-described "Count" Jean-Frédéric Waldeck. He was a man who "never let the truth get in the way of a good story." He claimed at various times to have been born in Paris, Prague, or Vienna, to be German, Austrian, or English, and to hold the title of Count, Duke, or Baron. Between 1834-36, he visited Palenque and made numerous drawings. Many of these were published in a book in 1838. Some of his drawings made Maya sites look Egyptian. To please other backers, he propounded the ideas that the ruins were from the Lost Tribes of Israel, or were actually Atlantis. It just depended upon who was paying him. Later archaeologists discovered three tombs in the temple, with jade offerings.

The North Group Temples. The Count's Temple forms one end of a plaza surrounded by the North Group of Temples. This group sits at the edge of a plateau, to the north of the Palace, with the Ball Court in between. These structures are significant because some parts of them date back as early as 325 AD, with the latest additions occurring between 625 and 700 AD, the period of Pakal and this sons. They are also unusual because a large number of domestic household materials were found in them, including manos and metates for grinding maize, obsidian blades, and a furnace. Apparently people lived here during the first half of the 8th Century, again during Pakal's time. The palapa (palm frond) shelter covers a recently discovered stucco sculpture.

A wide-eyed monster-god peers out from the past. There was no sign with information about this stucco sculpture, found at the base of the North Group of Temples. I have been unable to find any further information on it, but it was certainly striking. The left hand of the monster-god appears to be holding a torch. This was my last picture of the Palenque ruins, as we hurried to the bus.

Modern link to a distant past. This Maya woman waited patiently for customers among the throngs unloading off tour buses in the Palenque ruins parking lot. The Maya people have endured unbelievable suffering and social disruption since the Spanish first landed on the Yucatan Peninsula in 1517. Still, they have maintained their culture and language in the face of it all. Recently, archaeologists have been teaching them to read the ancient hieroglyphs so they can re-discover their history.

This concludes Part 2 of my series on the mysterious, jungle-clad ruins of Palenque. Next, I will show our visit to Merida, the old colonial capital of Yucatan. I hope you have enjoyed Palenque, and that I have not overwhelmed you with strange names and unfamiliar history. Palenque has so many great stories to tell that I could have done three or four more posts. But enough is enough! Go visit yourself!

If you would like to leave a comment, you can either use the comments section below, or send me an email directly. If you leave a question in the comments section, PLEASE leave your email address so I can answer you.

Hasta luego, Jim

Palenque Part 1: Exquisite Maya city lost in the jungle

Maya sculpture, found at the ruined city of Palenque. Prior to visiting Campeche, Carole and I stopped overnight at Palenque, one of the most famous of the ruined Maya cities. The ancient Maya culture and civilization of the Classic era (250-900 AD) reached some of the highest levels of science, architecture, and art ever achieved in the pre-hispanic New World. Palenque flowered during this era. Although smaller and less imposing than some Maya cities, such as Tikal in Guatamala, it is arguably the most beautiful of them all and perhaps of any pre-hispanic city in Latin America. The head sculpture above demonstrates the skill and naturalism of Palenque artists. The only culture whose art approaches the Classic Maya would be the even more ancient Olmecs.

The Maya world was extensive in geography and heavily populated. As you can see from the map above, the Maya were spread over the swampy southern Gulf Coast of Mexico, the flat limestone plains of Yucatan Peninsula, the forested mountains of Chiapas, Guatamala, and Honduras, and the mountains and hot coastal areas of Belize, on the Caribbean Sea. Millions of people lived in the ancient Maya world, many more than early explorers and more recent archaeologists had originally thought. During the Classic era, when Palenque flourished, the most important cities were in the mountains of Chiapas, Guatamala, and Honduras. After 700 AD, when Palenque and the other cities in this area began to decline and fall, the vibrancy of the culture moved north, into the Yucatan Peninsula area where the late stages of Maya civilization still existed upon the arrival of the Spanish. By that time, the ruins of Palenque had already disappeared under a thick canopy of jungle.

Palenque flourished in a geographical transition zone. The Maya built the city of Palenque on a series of small plateaus in the heavily jungled foothills separating the hot marshy plains of the Usumacinta River Valley and the cool mountains of Chiapas. While the city itself is beautiful, it would be like an unset diamond without its emerald green jungle surroundings. A feeling of remoteness in time, and distance from modern civilization, overwhelmed me as soon as I walked through the green, leafy tunnel finally emerging into the first great plaza. As you can see above, the jungle continues to loom over the ruins. Full-sized trees grow on stepped temple platforms where once Maya priests in robes and brilliant feathers performed esoteric ceremonies.

Large brown owl perches on the heavily thorned branch of a Ceiba tree. The owl seemed unconcerned by our large tour party, except to look us over rather disdainfully. The Ceiba tree had great significance to the Maya and other Mesoamerican cultures. Growing a height of 230 feet or more, the Ceiba covers the jungle floor with its great spreading canopy. Its buttress roots can be taller than a man. The Maya believed the Ceiba's roots connected the underworld to the terrestrial world represented by the trunk, and finally to the canopy of the heavens. The cross which the Spanish found in Maya temples, and which they associated with Christianity, was actually a symbol of the holy Ceiba tree to the Maya. Modern Maya still leave the tree standing when cutting timber, out of respect for the ancient gods.

Maya warrior, in all his glorious finery. Until the Maya hieroglyphics were translated in recent decades, many archaeologists conceived of the Maya as a cultured, artistic, and peaceful people ruled by priest-kings. Once the translations began, the reality began looking a bit different. Culture and artistic the Maya were, but their cities warred with each other constantly, jockeying for resources and looking for war captives to make bloody sacrifices to their gods. The Spanish conquistadors found the Maya of their time to be extremely warlike, and didn't manage to conquer the Yucatan until two decades after their conquest of the Aztecs of Central Mexico.

Maya hieroglyphs are like no other writing system. While the Western system has 26 phonetic signs, which we call letters of the alphabet, the Maya system was based on 800 phonetic signs, based on syllables. Like wartime code breakers, Mayanists worked for two hundred years to decipher the meaning of the symbols they found throughout the Maya world. In fact, the Maya writing system was one of the oldest in continuous use in history, dating from as early as the 3rd Century BC until after the Conquest in the 16th Century AD. In addition to symbols carved on stone, like those pictured above from the Temple of the Inscriptions, the Maya kept great libraries written on perishable materials. Tragically, Spanish colonial Bishop Diego de Landa viewed these libraries as the writings of the Devil and ordered them burned. The Spanish were reported to be puzzled at the great anguish this caused among the Maya people. Only a handful of texts survived, now known as the Maya Codex.

The Palace complex of Palenque served both ceremonial and administrative functions. One of its most striking features is the tower which may have been either an astonomical observatory or a watch tower for enemies. The Palace is in the center of Palenque, and is surrounded by temples of various sizes, but no other building is comparable in complexity. In the photo above, the jungle encroaches on the remains of the Palace. In the distance, the flat plains of the Usumacinta river valley stretch off into the horizon.

The Palace from the east side. This scale model from the museum at Palenque provides a sense of the Palace as it looked in 700 AD. At that time, the walls were painted in bright colors, some of which can still be detected . In addition to the tower, another distinctive feature is the so-called "roof comb" on top of the buildings. Many of the temples in Palenque also have roof combs, but none as extensive as the Palace. The combs are intricate lattice works of stone, the purpose of which is not completely understood. Possibly it was simple decoration, but nothing about the Maya tends to be simple.

The great staircases are still another distinctive feature of the Palace. Other temples may have staircases that reach higher, but none are grander, or broader than those leading up into the complex of rooms, courtyards, patios, and hallways of this great edifice.

Model of the Palace from the west side. As grand as the ruins are, you can see from the model how tremendous this structure must have looked to the original inhabitants and visitors of Palenque. And, of course, it was just that sense of awe for which the rulers and their architects were striving. You can't stay on top if you can't make people look up to you.

The Courtyard of the Captives. It was to this courtyard in the heart of the Palace that war captives were dragged, to be exhibited before Palenque's nobles before being sacrificed. Notice the 3 light-colored panels between the two staircases in the lower center. Each of these has a relief carving of a captive.

Courtyard of the Captives, as it may have looked in ancient times. The Courtyard of the Captives was truly the "belly of the beast," just as the Palace was the geographical and administrative center of Palenque.

A captive in a typically submissive pose. Looking fearfully up at the place where his captors and executioners glory in their victory, the captive stands with one arm across his chest, and one across his belly. I have seen this pose in many relief carvings of Maya captives. This was clearly a high ranking captive, from the intricate ear rings, necklace, and belt he wears. Notice also the cuffs around his wrists, similar to the cuffs of the Maya warrior in the relief carving at the beginning of this posting. This may have been the remains of his armor, or possibly jade bracelets.

The crowning of K'inich Janaab Pakal (Pakal the Great). Pakal, whose name means "Sun Shield," was the greatest ruler of Palenque. Above, you can see Pakal on the right being presented with his crowning head dress by his mother on the left. She had been Regent during his early life. This oval relief carving, now badly worn, can be found in the Palace, the center of power. Pakal lived an extremely long life for his time, from March 26, 603 AD to March 31, 683 AD, and actually ruled for 68 years. He is responsible for some of the most impressive architecture in Palenque, including his own tomb, the Temple of Inscriptions, which sits directly across from the Palace. Immediately to the right of Pakal's tomb is the tomb of Pakal's mother, a testament to her importance. That we know all these details and dates so exactly is due to the cracking of the Maya hieroglyphic code and the extraordinary accuracy of the Maya calendar.

Censer, or incense burner, from Palenque museum. This beautiful example of a Maya censer stands about 3 feet high. During religious ceremonies, copal was burned in censers like this. This one may have been used when Pakal was crowned by his mother. The censer reached its highest and most beautiful development during the Classic era at Palenque. The later Aztecs also used censers and conquistadors such as Bernal Diaz del Castillo, who wrote the "History of the Discovery and Conquest of Mexico", spoke often of being "fumigated" whenever they met with indigenous leaders of the cities they conquered.

Face of a monster, or a clown? This was one of a series of badly eroded plaster faces I found on the walls inside the Palace complex. While this one seemed somewhat humorous, there was no sign, and I had no cultural context to tell me what it was supposed to mean.

The hallway of the "clown's" face. There was a whole line of such faces along the length of this hallway, which overlooked the Courtyard of the Captives. Notice the arched ceiling over the hallway. This is called a corbel, or "false" arch. It is an improvement over the post and lintel design, but doesn't have the load-bearing qualities of a true arch. In spite of their wonderful architectural achievements, the Maya never developed a true arch, unlike their contemporaries, the Romans. Thus, the interior rooms of some of their greatest buildings seem narrow and cramped.

The aqueduct, another Palenque achievement. This stream, called the Otulum, runs out of the high hills behind Palenque and through the heart of the city. Tiring of floods, at some point the Maya rulers of Palenque built stone walls on either side of the stream for a considerable distance to channel and control the water. Here, it runs along the east side of the Palace, which no doubt made water gathering for the Palace inhabitants easy. Past the Palace, the stream enters an artificial underground channel 55 meters long with a corbel roof, forming a land bridge over which the Maya could build.

The true size of Palenque is deceptive. We spent hours wandering the ruins before we visited the Palenque museum where I found this topographical map. The Palace is the small solid white rectangle in the middle of the large white square. The area we explored was immediately around the palace. You can see there is a vast area of ruins within the large white square, and an even greater area outside of it. Palenque calls out for another visit, and perhaps many more.

In Part 2 of this series on Palenque, I will show several of the temple complexes which surround the Palace, including the tomb of Pakal. I hope you liked what you have seen of Palenque. The place is magical, right out of an Indiana Jones movie, but somehow even more fantastic. If you would like to leave a comment, you can either use the comments section below or email me directly. If you leave a question in the comments section, PLEASE leave your email address so that I can respond.

Hasta luego, Jim