Palenque

Palenque may perhaps be the most beautiful ruin in all of Mexico, or even all of ancient Mesoamerica.  Its dramatic setting against jungle hills, the excellent state of preservation, sophisticated quality of architecture and art, all combine to make it the one archeological zone which must be seen, if one must choose only one to see.  El nucleo central -- the central nucleus of the site is a beautifully maintained, park-like zone with plenty of shade trees to rest under (watch out for stinging caterpillars) during the heat of the day.

The howler monkeys screaming in the trees and the iguanas peeking out from the stones will add magnificent touches to your experience seeing the ruins. Numerous trails lead into the jungle where the plant & wildlife experience is superb -- but don't get lost.

The convenience of access (by bus or car) and hospitable accommodations in town (with its lively plaza "jardín") will sweeten your touristic experience.  After a long day in the ruins, a stroll and a sit-down in town will revive, feed, and entertain any visitor.  Economical minibusses regularly run the six miles between town and the zona arqueologica, and there is also a paved sidewalk from town for truly fanatical walkers.  Along the access road are several campgrounds and resorts, alternatives to the wide range of hotels available in town.  We stayed at the Posada Bonampak for $5 a night (in 1999).  $10, $20, and on up were plentiful.

This is the archeological zone that so enchanted the late, great Linda Schele that she ended up dedicating her career to ancient American studies.  This is the ruin that led Merle Greene Robertson to pursue a lifetime of rubbings and study.  This is the site of the Pyramid of the Inscriptions, where the archeologist Adolfo Ruz discovered the fantastic tomb of king Pacal the great (the archeologist's small tomb now graces the plaza in front of the pyramid).

In front of the pyramid sits the Palace, an amazing maze of rooms, corredors, patios, doorways and tunnels: the house of great king Pacal, much expanded by him and his son.  We snapped (and edited) a pix of the gardeners in the east courtyard cutting grass.  This will evidence the great care taken to maintain this site for the benefit of visitors from all over Mexico and around the world.  If you look closely you can even see a new gardener being born autocthon from the grassy earth herself.  Um... well, editorial license eh?  Eh.

Palenque was a HUGE city (open a sample Mesoweb map or see more of them), that sprawled along the lower slopes of those tall hills now rising so beautifully above today's ruins.

Most tourists only see the "nucleo central" -- which, honestly, is enough for hours of walking and resting in the shade -- with its handsome collection of monumental treasures. The Temple of the Inscriptions, the Palace, the Cross Group of temples behind the palace, the South Group, those are enough to blow you away, but there are other groups accessible via clear, wide pathways and stairs. 

Furthermore, smaller, rustic trails lead into the jungle where ruined mounds huddle on every side amidst dense trees populated by howling monkeys.  Some adventurous souls make a point of seeking out the "lost" temple (sounds unbelievably romantic, no?) actually named "Olvidado" (forgotten), more than a kilometer to the east beyond the opposite end of the parking lot (not the ticket office/gate end) where the scary looking trail disappears into the bush.  NOT recommended for the easily lost!

Back in the nucleo central, down along the stream beyond the palace, we saw small groups of army soldiers patrolling the jungle with automatic weapons slung over their shoulders, looking for who knows whom or what, so there is a sense of security as well as danger.  Supposedly you are not allowed to swim in the lovely waterfall pools known as the queen's bath, but as we chatted with the soldiers (Everything okay? Oh, yes, sir, todo tranquilo) they were smiling down at a couple of truly babelicious young gringas dipping in the jungle stream.  Ahem.  Nice white meat, eh?  But we did not say that no.  No klik, no stik, no wick, nah-anh....

*sigh* we want to go back there NOW!

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Superb set of resources like photos, maps (to regular and off-trail areas), etcetera, available at MESOWEB Palenque.