Palenque sits on a hillside plateau in Chiapas, Southern Mexico, surrounded by thick rainforest. Silence reigns supreme, broken only by the sounds of the spider monkeys at play.
Flourishing for over a millennium between 226 BCE to 799 CE, then not only did Palenque decline but the whole Mayan civilisation collapsed and disappeared for reasons that can only be theorised. For centuries Palenque was hidden; mother nature reclaiming her land, hiding the vast majestic ruins.
The Palace was used by the Mayan aristocracy for administrative functions, entertainment, and ritualistic (human sacrifices) ceremonies.
The Temple of Inscriptions, the tomb of King Pakal.The inscriptions within records approximately 200 years of the city's history.
The tomb had remained hidden for centuries until its discovery during excavations in 1952
How quickly the clouds can descend then rise again.
Mother nature still doing her thing, still encouraging her children to survive.
A stucco relief circa 670 CE, first discovered and sketched in an expedition of 1787
Templo de la Cruz, half way up, out of breath, steep uneven steps I am assured it will be worth it
The Palace observation tower, used for not only as a lookout post but also ceremonial purposes. looking from the top of the tower on the Winter Solstice, the sunsets directly behind the Tomb of Pakal, thus appearing to enter the underworld through the tomb
How it looked when first photographed in 1890
Just got to get the fuck down now!
Red gingers, bright colours to attract the pollinators
Crotons, beautiful variegated leaves a fantastic architectural plant
The stunning false bird of paradise, common through Central and Southern America.
.....and a couple of big leaves
Excavations are ongoing with only approx. 1sq mile uncovered, it is estimated that less than 10% of the total area of the city has been found leaving more than a thousand structures still hidden in the jungle.
Thanks for visiting my page, I am pleased to make your acquaintance. this is Stephen aka, @grindle, happily retired, travelling the world snapping away. My weapon of choice is currently a Nikon Z6(2).
Unless stated all images are shot by me, all text is mine based on various info sources. NOT AI generated.
If you like my blog, it would be very much appreciated if you upvote and follow me. Also, please feel free to drop a comment.
I remember seeing these in a game and thinking if they really are for real or just exaggerated in the game for more fans. I guess they are real, lol! Definitely a treasure for the place and for the world in general for still being there in the 21st century too
what were you playing "tomb raider?' LOL
Forza Horizon 5 actually, lol :D
And the map is entirely built following the map of Mexico
Ahh! that has passed me by, being a PS5 player
This place is a testament of a once thriving Mayan tribe..history is shown all over the place..great shots too ☺️
cheers @jane1289 I hope they brought the place alive for you, it was a wonderful place to visit
What an incredible trip to Palenque! 🌍🏛️ Thank you so much for sharing these amazing photos and the fascinating history of this ancient Mayan city. 📸🍃 It's like taking a leap into the past and immersing yourself in the rich culture of those times. If you have any other adventures or locations to show off, we can't wait to see them!
cheers @hotspotitaly thanks for dropping in, your comments are amazing and appreciated , I am glad you enjoyed my efforts to bring the place to life in my words and snaps. Always posting every couple of days on here cheers
Their culture has always fascinated me; that they reached such architectural heights even at that time is truly incredible. I hope that one day they will succeed in excavating the entire city. Great monkey photos 😉
cheers @tinabrezpike thanks for dropping in, sometimes you stare and go WOW! and who doesn't like a monkey lol
Perhaps visitors to Bali are not fond of them; little thieves seem to be running a big business there 😂
ah! I get it , yes i have come across monkeys like that when travelling through the sub continent.
Woww, Mayan tribe looks soo historic! By the way, the monkeys are cuteeee 🥺
hey @douceink thanks for dropping in, got to love monkeys they are our cousins x
Amazing pictures, I love how you managed to capture the local expressions in the place and in the people. And the landscape, I’m speechless, amazing!
Templo de la Cruz is stunning!
wow, @belug thank you for your amazing comments, made my day tbh!
Lost civilizations, history well hidden for many years a wonderful informative outing once again, most enjoyable reading!
!BEER
thank you @joanstewart
Keep traveling I enjoy learning more!
Always on the move! never enough time to upload to here lol. I still have another 4 trips from last year to even edit!! and this years travels begin in two weeks FFS lol
Howling successful trip seeing ancient progress now lost in mist of time. Some hanging about waiting to be seen and heard.
👍
cheers @joanstewart glad it brought it to life for you ( No bugs!!!!! lol)
No bugs you mentioned, not sure how many enjoyed you along the way...
Look forward to back up of previous trips, and obviously looking forward to seeing the new as well, have fun and happy landings....
cheers
it is a place full of history that looks very beautiful, the Mayan tribe is a legendary tribe, I like seeing your posts
cheers @aquagelas thanks for your words, I am glad that my efforts brought the place alive for you. I appreciate your input thanks
Congratulations, your post has been added to Pinmapple! 🎉🥳🍍
Did you know you have your own profile map?
And every post has their own map too!
Want to have your post on the map too?
Congratulations @grindle! You have completed the following achievement on the Hive blockchain And have been rewarded with New badge(s)
Your next target is to reach 7500 replies.
You can view your badges on your board and compare yourself to others in the Ranking
If you no longer want to receive notifications, reply to this comment with the word
STOP
Wow, the history of the place is seen and inscribed in the ruins. Thank you for sharing this amazing place @grindle
cheers @intoy.bugoy thanks for dropping in, glad you enjoyed your visit and my efforts to bring the place alive
Amazing how beautiful the nature is and the building is still holding up well ;))
yes indeed, a secret treasure of ancient times
Hiya, @livinguktaiwan here, just swinging by to let you know that this post made it into our Honorable Mentions in Travel Digest #2125.
Your post has been manually curated by the @pinmapple team. If you like what we're doing, please drop by to check out all the rest of today's great posts and consider supporting other authors like yourself and us so we can keep the project going!
Become part of our travel community:
cheers @livinguktaiwan @pinmapple , your support is always appreciated
Wow, this is cool, a great place with great history ❤️ have a nice day @grindle
cheers @penflecto thanks for stopping by, you have a good week too
$WINE
incredible structure
yes indeed, built by hand
It's fascinating to see the combination of history, archaeology, and nature in your exploration. The ongoing excavations and the fact that only a small part of the city has been uncovered leave room for more discoveries, keeping the allure of the ancient Mayan civilization alive.
cheers @ilmaffeiano78 thanks for dropping in, glad you enjoyed my little wander through time
Wow - looks awesome. I would love to see those
cheers @hoosie cant argue with that it was pretty awesome
View or trade
BEER
.Hey @grindle, here is a little bit of
BEER
from @joanstewart for you. Enjoy it!We love your support by voting @detlev.witness on HIVE .
Hello grindle!
It's nice to let you know that your article won 🥇 place.
Your post is among the best articles voted 7 days ago by the @hive-lu | King Lucoin Curator by nuthman
You and your curator receive 0.1719 Lu (Lucoin) investment token and a 11.07% share of the reward from Daily Report 184. Additionally, you can also receive a unique LUGOLD token for taking 1st place. All you need to do is reblog this report of the day with your winnings.
Buy Lu on the Hive-Engine exchange | World of Lu created by @szejq
STOP
or to resume write a wordSTART