If you enter the site through the main entrance you will be immideately impressed by the lush jungle vegitation and the sound of hauler monkeys and other feathered and furry jungle friends. In all of this, ancient pyramids and temples are towering over the visitor. Palenque is simply impressive!
If you click on the image below you can see a little movie illustrating sites and sounds.

This pyramid belongs to the group of "Pyramids of the inscriptions". It's group of three buldings right next ot each other. The last one is the biggest and (as seen form the main entrance, photo above, left) is the pyramid that houses the sarcophagus lid of Pakal.

Across the Pyramid of the inscriptions is the most impressive building of Palenque. It's called "the Palace" although nobody really knows for certain what this fantastic, very modern looking building was used for. One thing is for sure: The tower in the middle is a unique structure and is found nowhere else. The guards told me during my visit that there is a strange staircase indside the tower, but it only starts on the second floor all the way to the top. Archaeologists have no idea what this tower was used for and think it was either a watchtower or it was used for astronomical observation.
An ancient Hopi legend says that the their people once came from Palenque and this structure was a school in which the gods tought..

A closer look at the tower from inside the structure.

Was this the place 'gods' were teaching the Maya?

This is the famous pyramid of the inscriptions that houses the sarcophagus lid. It's not accessable to the public anymore. The official reason for the closure is that the sweat of the visitors and the lights were damaging the interior.

On top of the pyramid are guards that make sure nobody 'sneaks' in and takes a photograph of the sarcophagus lid.

This photo shows you how the public that is not well informed is deliberately fooled.
A lot of visitors that are not well informed about the sarcophagus lid and it's significance to the PaleoSeti Theory. Then if they are arrive in Palenque they hear about a sarcophagus lid, that somebody says it shows an "Alien from outer space". Of course they want to see that. For visitors like that the officials prepared just the right thing.
As you see in the photo on the left the big steps on the left are leading to the real entrance to the sarcophagus lid. Unfortunately those steps are taped of and not accessable to the public. But you can see another - smaller - set of stairs on the right with a little roof on top. You can see some tourists climbing up the stairs.
Those stairs lead into a little room with another sarcophagus lid, that has no carvings on it whatsoever. For the uninformed "I-phone photography crowd" that seems to be enough.
They can now say they have seen the sarcophagus lid of Palenque.

In 2005 interested people had to apply many month in advance to see the sarcophagus lid. Not to upset the other people it was decided to let the ones with permit in from the back of the pyramid.

Click here to get to the page dedcated to the sarcophagus lid of Palenque with rare photos of the real thing. Furthermore you will find information about the mysterious death mask of Pakal.

Palenque is a fascinating mix between exotic jungle and archaeology.

Only a small piece of Palenque is excavated. The major part of the ancient city lies untouched in the jungle. What suprises are still waiting?