Taking a Tour of the Mayan Ruins of Palenque
About My Trip to Palenque
During a December 2021 trip to the Chiapas and Tabasco states of Mexico, I decided to take a tour of the Mayan Ruins of Palenque from Villahermosa.
Ever since I visited the Mayan Ruins of Chichen Itza, I have had an interest in the Mayans. The Mayans were such an advanced civilization for their time and have contributed scientifically and astrologically to modern society.
To tour the Mayan Ruins of Palenque, I booked a package with the tour agency Jungla Experience. This company is led by a fantastic guide named Ramon Rodriguez. Ramon picked me up at the designated meeting place in his car and drove me and two British tourists to Palenque. It was a great day touring the former Mayan city and learning about their unique history and culture.
Taking a Tour of the Mayan Ruins of Palenque - Table of Contents
- About My Trip to Palenque
- Getting to Palenque from Villahermosa
- Palenque, A Brief History
- The Temple of the Skill and the Tomb of the Red Queen
- Temple of the Inscriptions
- The Palace
- The Group of the Cross
- Ball Court
- North Group
- Temple of the Court
- The Aqueduct
- Palenque Tours and Packages
- Support Buzzin’ Around the World – Visit Our Affiliates
- Earning Points and Rewards
- Related Content
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Taking a Tour of Palenque - Getting to Palenque from Villahermosa
The trip to the Mayan Ruins of Palenque took about two and a half hours from Villahermosa. Although we arrived fairly early, the parking lot to the ruins was already full. We had to park on the street and walk about 200 meters to the entrance.
Our guide, Ramon, quickly purchased our tickets while we had time to use the restrooms. Within fifteen minutes of arriving, we were inside these historical Mayan Ruins and ready to begin our tour.
Taking a Tour of Palenque - Palenque, A Brief History
The Mayan City of Palenque was part of their empire from 226 BC to 799 AD. In 799 AD, the city was abandoned, and the nearby jungle expanded and overtook the city. Located in the Mexican state of Chiapas, this Mayan City was excavated and restored, becoming a national park in 1981.
Palenque was home to the Mayan ruler, Pacal the Great, whose tomb is located inside the Temple of Inscriptions. It is believed that Pacal the Great was the leader responsible for building most of the current buildings. The construction of these buildings is believed to have been completed during the 600s. Included in these famous structures are the Palace, which was the home of Pacal the Great, and various temples.
In the Mayan Civilization, only the elite was able to live in the actual city limits. The commoners and peasants typically lived outside the city limits and only came into Palenque on certain occasions.
Following the death of Pacal the Great, two of his sons each had stints as the ruler. His sons continued to build Palenque, including completing the Group of the Crosses and their father’s tomb inside the Temple of Inscriptions.
Eventually, the Mayan City of Palenque was raided by the nearby city of Toniná. It is presumed that the ruler was executed during this raid causing the city to have 10 years with no one serving as king.
During its peak, Palenque was home to around 15,000 to 20,000 residents. While only the upper class lived inside the city, over ten thousand residents lived on the outskirts of the city. Their homes were made of wood instead of stone leaving almost no traces for archeologists to study.
By the year 799, Palenque was mostly abandoned, leaving only a small group of farmers inside the once-thriving city. The ruins would be discovered in 1773 by Don Ramon de Ordoñez y Aguilar. Although many people visited the ruins over the next 150 years, it wasn’t until 1949 that Mexican archaeologist Alberto Ruz Lhuillier began excavating. During this time, Ruz Lhulliler discovered the tomb of Pacal the Great becoming the first person inside the tomb in over 1,000 years. When Ruz Lhullifer died, his body was buried near the Temple of Inscriptions and Palace of Palenque.
A lot of progress has been made in excavating the Mayan Ruins of Palenque over the past 20 to 30 years. Still, it is believed that only about five percent of the city has been uncovered.
Taking a Tour of Palenque - The Temple of the Skull and the Tomb of the Red Queen
The first building that we stopped at on our tour of the Mayan Ruins of Palenque was the Temple of the Skill. The Temple of the Skull shares the same outer walls with the Tomb of the Red Queen and the Temple of Inscriptions.
The Temple of the Skull was built in the 8th century and got its name from the skull, which is on one of the pillars. At the top of the Temple of the Skull are a doorway and a triangular arch.
Located between the Temple of the Skull and the Temple of Inscriptions is the Tomb of the Red Queen. This burial chamber was discovered in 1994 and is believed to have been built between 600 and 700 AD.
The official name of the Tomb of the Red Queen is Temple XIII, but it was commonly known as the Tomb of the Red Queen after the discovery of the tomb of an important woman. This tomb was covered in bright red cinnabar powder, which led to her being known as the “Red Queen.”
Located inside the tomb are two other people, a boy who died at age eleven and a woman who died between the ages of 30 and 35. It is believed that they were both servants of the Red Queen who were sacrificed.
Little is known about the identity of the Red Queen. Experts believe that the tomb was constructed between 600 and 700 AD and that the Red Queen was in her sixties when she died. It was theorized that she was the mother of Pakal the Great, but that theory was debunked by DNA testing. Following the excavation of her tomb and over 14 different tests, the Red Queen’s remains were returned to Palenque and buried in a different location.
Taking a Tour of Palenque - Temple of the Inscriptions
The Temple of Inscriptions is adjacent to the Temple of the Skull and the Tomb of the Red Queen. Found inside this temple was the tomb of Pacal the Great, as well as three hieroglyphic tablets. These tablets recorded important information about the life of Pacal the Great and named his son as the heir to the throne following his death.
In front of the Temple of Inscriptions is a stone table that was used for sacrifices. Being sacrificed was a huge honor to the Mayans. Those sacrificed to the gods were typically commoners and peasants.
Taking a Tour of Palenque - The Palace
One of the main attractions in visiting the Mayan Ruins of Palenque is the Palace. Despite being built as early as 250 AD, the Palace, as it stands today, was almost entirely built by Pacal the Great and his sons.
In addition to serving as the residence of Pacal the Great, the Palace also had 12 different rooms that served as houses. These rooms were kept cool by a series of holes in the walls that allowed cool air to flow through the rooms and allowed warm air to exit through holes in the ceiling.
The Palace also served as the political core of Palenque. When important visitors would visit this Mayan City, they would stay in one of the extra rooms in the Palace.
In addition to having an air circulation system, the Palace also was supplied freshwater by an aqueduct. There were also large steam baths and saunas, as well as a functioning latrine.
One of the most recognizable structures of the Palace is the four-story observation tower. According to our guide Ramon, the architect that restored the observation tower was fired after he made it look more like a Japanese Pagoda than a Mayan tower.
Located near all of the buildings, including the Palace of Palenque, are sacrifice tablets. I believe that visitors should be careful to be respectful and avoid posing for Instagram photos in areas that were used for human sacrifice.
Taking a Tour of Palenque - The Group of the Cross
Three temples make up the Group of the Cross. These temples were built by Chan Bahlum II, the son of Pacal the Great, to honor his reign following the death of his father. It is believed that these three temples have distinct height differences as they represent the three levels of the Mayan Universe: the heavens, the surface of the Earth, and the underworld.
In the center of the Group of the Cross, there is a large area for human sacrifices.
Temple of the Sun
The Temple of the Sun is the lowest of the three temples to the ground and represents a solar deity associated with warfare and the underworld.
Temple of the Foliated Cross
The Temple of the Foliated Cross is the second tallest of the three temples and is associated with the Surface of the Earth. Archeologists could tell this as its facade had images of water and vegetation.
Temple of the Cross
The Temple of the Cross is the largest and tallest of the three temples and represents the sky and heavens. Built to honor the God of the rising sun and royal ancestry, this temple was decorated with a cosmological alligator and other inscriptions representing the sky.
Taking a Tour of Palenque - Ball Court
The Ballcourt at the Mayan Ruins of Palenque is much smaller than the ballcourt in Chichen Itza. According to our guide, the ball court was used in place of battle. Rather than have 15,000 to 20,000 deaths, rival Mayan cities would use the ballcourt to decide their differences. As a result, only the participants of the losing team would be killed. Deaths would be in the teens or twenties instead of the ten thousands.
The goal of the Mayan ballgame was to knock the ball through the ring without using your hands or feet. Typically, the Mayan athletes would use their hips to attempt to score a goal. The rings that served as the goals in Palenque are much lower than the rings in Chichen Itza.
The Ballcourt sits between the Palace and the North Group.
Taking a Tour of Palenque - North Group
Located across from the Ballcourt the North Group is made up of five temples that are connected to each other. There are stone carvings that are located under an awning on the far side of the North Group.
Taking a Tour of Palenque - Temple of the Court
The Temple of the Court is located next to the North Group and faces the Ballcourt. This building is one of the oldest buildings that has been excavated in Palenque, dating back to 640 AD.
There is an interesting story about the Temple of the Court. It is believed that a man named Jean-Frédéric Maximilien de Waldeck lived in Palenque for two years atop the Pyramid of the Court. During this time, Waldeck drew exaggerated images of the Mayan Civilization, which included elephants and other animals that didn’t live in the rainforests of Mexico. Apparently, he was trying to prove that the Mayans were a lost tribe from Egypt. This theory has been debunked by other archeologists and historians. Still, his art and book prompted people to explore and Palenque and other Mayan cities in Mexico.
Taking a Tour of Palenque - The Aqueduct
One thing that will be obvious after a tour of the Mayan Ruins of Palenque is that the Mayans were way ahead of their time. A prime example supporting this claim is the aqueduct system.
In addition to redirecting springs and rivers to pass through the city of Palenque, some archeologists believe that the Mayans discovered water pressure. This theory claims that the Mayan royalty shortened the channels of the aqueduct to create a fountain that shot the water over 25 feet in the air.
There will be many vendors selling items throughout Palenque. Quite a few of them were located on either side of the bridge that goes over the aqueduct.
A tour of the Mayan Ruins of Palenque often includes a stop at one of Chiapas’ beautiful waterfalls. Below are various tour options for touring the Mayan Ruins of Palenque. I highly recommend beginning your tour in Villahermosa instead of Tuxta Guitereeiz as you will spend much less time traveling and more time visiting the ruins.
Please note that as an affiliate of Viator, I will receive a small commission if you purchase one of these tours. This commission is at no additional cost to you.
Prices are accurate as of April 2023.
Palenque Tours and Packages
 Tour to Palenque Archaeological Site, Cascadas de Agua Azul & Misol Ha - $106.19 On this tour, you will visit the amazing waterfalls of Agua Azul and Misol Ha. Indigo blue water, green vegetation, the constant breeze, and the inexhaustible aquatic sound which contributes to make this place unique, located 133 km from San Cristobal de las Casas, one of the most spectacular and unforgettable of México. If weather allows, you will be able to swim at the Agua Azul falls. |
 AGUA AZUL and MISOL-HA FALLS (Private tour from Palenque or San Cristobal) - $155.00 The Cascadas de Agua Azul (Spanish for “Blue Water Waterfall”) are found near the Municipality of Tumbalá, in the middle of the Chiapas rainforest. It consists of many cataracts following one after another in the Cascadas de Agua Azul Natural Park. The larger cataracts may be about 6 meters (20 ft.) high. |
 PALENQUE MAYAN RUINS (Private) - $140.00 Located on the first rise of the Tumbala mountains, Palenque archaeological site looks out over the Usumacinta River flood plain. Here you’ll be confronted by the largest Mesoamerican step pyramid, the Temple of Inscriptions, spotted with hieroglyphics that have contributed significantly to the study of Mayan civilization. |
 Palenque Archaeological Site from Villahermosa - $236.55 Visit the incredible archaeological site of Palenque, declared as a World Heritage list by UNESCO. Your tour includes guided visits to the Temple of the Inscriptions, the Temple of the Foliated Cross, and the palace belonging to Maya royalty. |
 Palenque and Jungle Waterfalls from Tuxtla Gutierrez - $97.44 Enjoy a wonderful combo tour as you visit magical places filled with beauty. You'll see the turquoise waterfalls of Agua Azul and Misol-Há plus the incredible archaeological site of Palenque (Named by Unesco as World Heritage Site). The time spent at the archaeological site is approximately 2.30 hours, Misolha is 45 minutes and Agua Azul is 1.5 hours. Your tour includes transport and a professional guide. |
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