Things to do in Palenque
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El Panchán
El Panchán is a legendary travelers’ hangout, set in a patch of dense rainforest. It’s the epicenter of Palenque’s alternative scene and home to a bohemian bunch of Mexican and foreign residents and wanderers, including a number of archaeologists and anthropologists. Once ranchland, the area has been reforested by the remarkable Morales family, some of whom are among the leading archaeological experts on Palenque. El Panchán has several (fairly rustic) places to stay, a couple of restaurants, a set of sinuous streams rippling their way through every part of the property, nightly entertainment, a meditation temple, a temascal (pre-Hispanic steam bath) and a constant…
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Restaurant Las Tinajas
It doesn’t take long to figure out why this place is always busy. It slings enormous portions of excellent home-style food, and it’s enough to keep you (and possibly another person) fueled up for hours. Pollo a la veracruzana (chicken in a tomato/olives/onion sauce) and camarones al guajillo (shrimp with a not-too-hot type of chili) are both delicious, as is the house salsa.
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Museo de Sitio
Palenque’s Museo de Sitio is worth a wander, displaying finds from the site and interpreting, in English and Spanish, Palenque’s history.
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Templo de las Inscripciones Group
As you walk in from the entrance, passing to the south of the overgrown Templo XI, the vegetation suddenly peels away to reveal most of Palenque's most magnificent buildings in one sublime vista. A line of temples rises in front of the jungle on your right, culminating in the Templo de las Inscripciones about 100m ahead; El Palacio, with its trademark tower, stands to the left of the Templo de las Inscripciones; and the Grupo de las Cruces rises in the distance beneath a thick jungle backdrop.
The first temple on your right is Templo XII, called the Templo de La Calavera (Temple of the Skull) for the relief sculpture of a rabbit or deer skull at the foot of one of its…
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Palenque Ruins
The ancient Palenque Ruins stand at the precise point where the first hills rise out of the Gulf Coast plain, and the dense jungle covering these hills forms an evocative backdrop to Palenque's exquisite Maya architecture. Hundreds of ruined buildings are spread over 15 sq km, but only a fairly compact central area has been excavated. Everything you see here was built without metal tools, pack animals or the wheel.
As you explore the ruins, try to picture the gray stone edifices as they would have been at the peak of Palenque's power: painted blood-red with elaborate blue and yellow stucco details. The forest around these temples is still home to howler monkeys (whom you…
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Grupo de las Cruces
Pakal's son, Kan B'alam II, was a prolific builder, and soon after the death of his father started designing the temples of the Grupo de las Cruces (Group of the Crosses). All three main pyramid-shaped structures surround a plaza southeast of the Templo de las Inscripciones. They were all dedicated in AD 692 as a spiritual focal point for Palenque's triad of patron deities. The 'cross' carvings in some buildings here symbolize the ceiba tree, which in Maya belief held up the universe.
The Templo del Sol (Temple of the Sun), on the west side of the plaza, has the best-preserved roof comb at Palenque. Carvings inside, commemorating Kan B'alam's birth in AD 635 and accession…
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Palenque Northeastern Grupos
East of the Grupo Norte, the main path crosses Arroyo Otolum. Some 70m beyond the stream, a right fork will take you to Grupo C, a set of jungle-covered buildings and plazas, thought to have been lived in from about AD 750 to 800.
If you stay on the main path, you'll descend steep steps to a group of low, elongated buildings, probably occupied residentially around AD 770 to 850. The path goes alongside the Arroyo Otolum, which here tumbles down a series of small falls forming natural bathing pools known as the Baño de la Reina (Queen's Bath). Unfortunately, one can't bathe here anymore.
The path continues to another residential quarter, the Grupo de Los Murciélagos (Bat…
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El Palacio
Diagonally opposite the Templo de las Inscripciones is the Palace, a large structure divided into four main courtyards, with a maze of corridors and rooms. Built and modified piecemeal over 400 years from the 5th century on, it probably really was the residence of Palenque's rulers.
Its tower, built in the 8th century by Ahkal Mo' Nahb' III and restored in 1955, has remnants of fine stucco reliefs on the walls, but you're not allowed to climb up inside it. Archaeologists believe the tower was constructed so that Maya royalty and priests could observe the sun falling directly into the Templo de las Inscripciones during the winter solsticeThe northeastern courtyard, the…
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Don Mucho’s
The hot spot of El Panchán, popular Don Mucho’s provides great-value meals in a jungly setting, with a candlelit atmosphere at night. Busy waiters bring pasta, fish, meat, plenty of antojitos, and pizzas (cooked in a purpose-built Italian-designed wood-fired oven) that are some of the finest this side of Naples. And it offers live music – usually andina,cumbia or Cuban – around 8pm or 9pm, plus a rousing fire-dancing show most nights.
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La Palapa
As freaky-fun as it gets in these parts, this al fresco ‘jungle lounge’ has DJs spinning reggae, salsa and electronica – sometimes punctuated by fire dancing – starting around midnight. There are occasional movie screenings as well. Dance until the wee hours and then dissolve and regroup on sofas under the palapa roof.
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Maya Exploration Center
Fascinating and entertaining in-depth tours of the Palanque ruins are given by this group of archaeologists who work on Maya sciences such as astronomy and math, and map unexplored ruins. Email them from the website or ask for Alonso Méndez at El Panchán. Their website is packed with interest for Palenque fans.
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El Tapanco
At this upstairs 'attic,' look for live rock and trova bands on Fridays and Saturdays. Afternoon drinks come with botanas, and cooler evenings are a swell time to munch on pizza (around $100) washed down with a michelada.
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Café de Yara
A sunny start to the day, this modern and beautiful corner café has great breakfasts and excellent organic Chiapan coffee. In the evening, the lights get intimate, with salsa and other live music serenading diners on Friday and Saturday.
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Grupo Norte
North of El Palacio is a ball court (juego de pelota) and the handsome buildings of the Northern Group. Crazy Count de Waldeck lived in the so-called Templo del Conde (Temple of the Count), constructed in AD 647.
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La Selva
Palenque’s most upscale restaurant serves up well-prepared steaks, seafood, salads and antojitos under an enormous palapa roof, with jungle-themed stained-glass panels brightening one wall.
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Pizzería Palenque
Light wood tables and a recent remodel have added some sparkle to this very popular pizza place with tasty pies and pastas. Don’t feel like leaving your room? Delivery is available in the center.
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Mara’s
This brightly painted traditional restaurant has a great location. It offers a good range of meat, fish and chicken dishes, and patrons can catch an ever-so-welcome tropical breeze.
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Cafetería Motiepa
Next to the site museum near the Palenque ruins, this is a good stop for a snack or drink.
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Restaurant Maya Cañada
This relatively upmarket and professionally run restaurant in the shady La Cañada area serves fine steaks and terrific seafood kebabs. It’s open to the air and has a cool upstairs terrace.
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Restaurant Sakura
We can't vouch for the authenticity of the sushi, but the fried rice and other Chinese comfort foods hit the spot. Enjoy the quiet upper terrace with a bird's-eye view of the park.
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