Palenque

Palenque refers both to the modern city and the municipality for which it is the local governing authority.

The city was founded in 1567 by Pedro Lorenzo. In 1573, the community was presented with three bells as a symbol of its foundation. Of the three, only one survives, which is found in the main church of the city.

Although it is a city, it is surrounded by jungle vegetation only 60 m above sea level, which contains many of Chiapas’ emblematic species, such as the howler monkey. These monkeys have been seen within the city, since the lack of range forces them to look for food near human settlements.

The city has an altitude of sixty meters above sea level.

An annual Festival Mundo Maya (Mayan World Festival) in April, focusing on the culture, folklore, crafts, food, and clothing of the indigenous people descended from the Mayas. The event attracts participants from Tabasco, Yucatán, Campeche, and parts of Puebla.

The most important religious celebrations are the Feast of Saint Dominic and Francis of Assisi.

The annual fair of Santo Domingo (Saint Dominic) was officially authorized in 1877.

Each year, the city of Palenque sponsors a passion play, selecting one young man from the area to play Jesus. The play mirrors the 14 Stations of the Cross, ending with the crucifixion. The event begins at the parish church of Santo Domingo de Guzmán.

The name Palenque comes from Spanish and means “wood stake fence”. It is a literal translation of the Ch’ol word “otulún,” which means fenced or fortified place.

The modern town was founded by Friar Pedro Lorenzo near the ruins of the same name in 1567. It was founded to congregate the Ch’ol indigenous families that were dispersed in this part of the Lacadon rainforest.

• In 1813, the settlement was officially declared a town.
• In 1821, a road between Bachajon and Palenque was constructed.
• The town’s first school was established in 1828.
• A railroad connecting the town with the Gulf of Mexico was constructed in the 1880s, with the Pakalna station, which still exists.
• The municipality system was created in the state in 1915, with Palenque head of its own municipality.
• The first airfield was established in 1931, and mail and telegraph arrived in 1941.
• In 1972, it was declared a city by the governor of the state of Chiapas.
• The Casa de Cultura was founded in 1980, with the main road paved in 1990.
• The Cecytec Technical College was founded in 1994.
• The modern airport was created in 1997.

The ancient Mayan site of Palenque was unknown to the Spanish when they founded the town, but since its discovery in 1740 by Father Antonio Solís, it has been important to the city and municipality both culturally and economically.

• The ruins were officially visited in 1773 by Ramon Ordóñez de Aguilar.
• The ruins were visited by English explorer Thomas McKay in 1822.
• The tomb of Pakal was discovered by Alberto Ruz Lhuillier in 1951.
• The Palenque site museum was established in 1958.

Today, the site is one of the most important tourism attractions in Chiapas.

Most of the municipality lies on the plains that lead north to the Gulf of Mexico, with small portions located in the mountains called the Montañas del Oriente and the Montañas del Norte. It is part of the Selva region of the state, and borders the Lacandon Jungle.

Its climate is hot and humid with rain all year round.

It has mostly tropical rainforest vegetation; however, much of this has been overexploited, with many forest areas devastated. Among its rivers are the Usumacinta, with tributaries Chamacax, Chancalá, Chocoljaito, along with Bascán, Michol, San Simón, and Trapiche.

There is one lake called Lago Metzaboc.

The municipality is home to the Palenque National Park and the Metzabok Conservation Zone.

Palenque National Park was established in 1981 and covers the area where the Montañas del Norte meet the coastal plain, an area of 1771.95 hectares. It was established to conserve the perennial rainforest, which is in danger of disappearing, as well as several endangered species.

The park surrounds the archeological site of Palenque, and both the site and the park are listed together as a World Heritage Site. It was established in 1981. The national park is home to a number of emblematic Chiapan species, including the howler monkey, which is endangered due to deforestation.

Metzabok was established in 1996 in the Montañas de Oriente, extending from Palenque into neighboring Ocosingo. It has an area of 3337.8 hectares of highly diverse and fragile ecosystems of both perennial and deciduous rainforest, as well as some mesophilic forest.

The main tourist attraction is the nearby archeological site of Palenque, located seven km from the city. Palenque is one of the archaeological sites in Mexico that receives large numbers of visitors for the spring equinox, along with Teotihuacan and Chichén Itzá.

The site is part of the Maya Route, which also includes sites such as Yaxchilan and Bonampak.

Each year, the municipality, along with other government agencies, puts in place extra security measures during Holy Week, as this is a major vacation period in Mexico, bringing large numbers of visitors to the area.

Extra safeguards are also put into place to protect the ruins at the Palenque site as well.

Lesser-known are a number of ecotourism sites. One of the most recent ecotourism parks to be created includes the “Ecoparque los Aluxes” just outside the city of Palenque. It is a conservation center with facilities to rescue wildlife.

It also has natural enclosures containing species such as jaguars, ocelots, bobcats, red and green macaws, spider monkeys, parrots, turtles, and various bird species. The facility has relations with other similar ecotourism parks such as Xcaret Park.

Near the park are two major waterfalls called Agua Azul and Misol Há. The park contains hiking paths to see the various areas of vegetation, along with streams and small waterfalls. The rainforest contains numerous birds and howler monkeys.