Palenque Sara Al-Bayyat 201200415
introduction: Where is palenque ? Palenque is an ancient mexican Maya city. Nowadays it is an archeological site with lots of stone buildings to explore.
Palenque is built on the foothills of the Eastern Chiapas mountain range. It was once a large city covering some 16 square kilometers and comprising more than 800 structures, counting temples, platforms, substructures, palaces and bridges. It was survived in various forms (the area involved includes parts of five countries: Belize, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Mexico)
What is palenque mean ? The name Palenque in all actuality is a Spanish word meaning " stockade of wood." An early archaeologist at Palenque, Miguel Fernandez, commented "the natives of the area referred to Palenque by the name of Otolum", a Chol Maya word meaning "strong house land", or "fortified place".
Special things in Palenque There is still left a special atmosphere of mystery in this city that you probably won't get in other Maya sites. The surrounding jungle with monkeys, small river and views from hill hide sacral indian spirits.
Some issues in Palenque The people of Palenque dealt with many of the same issues that face our modern cities of today. One such issue is water management. In our societies of the 21st century, city planners must deal with how to move water from its source to desired destinations in a convenient, and practical way. Palenque, because of its abundance of water and steep topography, presented quite a challenge in terms of land management.
There are many attractions places in Palenque such as: Tourism places Palenque is reachable by bus from Villahermosa, San Cristobal de las Casas and Campeche. There are many attractions places in Palenque such as:
* National park of Palenque * Cascadas de mishol-Ha * Cascadas de ague azul * Aluxes Ecoparque * Cascada de Roberto Barrios * Museum
Conclusion Tourists are welcome in Mexico, however basic knowledge of Spanish is recommended. It is quite safe to travel there . 4 hours should be enough to enjoy that all. The best months to go there is from April to October. The ruins are 10 minutes drive from the modern Palenque city and small buses go there frequently. Along the road there are plenty of accommodation, the same as in the city. I hope if we can go there one day !