The hotel we will stay in
Palenque is located in a forest. Colorful parrots and parrot-like birds fly around the rooms we stayed in.. This is like a paradise…
After settling in the hotel, we went down to the city center of Palenque. It has a very small square.. The most striking buildings in this small square are the church and the government building.. Apart from that, there are small souvenir shops around the square.
As we arrived in Palenque in the evening, we only wandered around the city on the first day and left the Mayan Civilization Ruins, which is our main goal, for the next day.. We spend the evening hours resting among the colorful birds at the hotel.
The next morning we go to the most important archaeological site of the Mayan civilization, which covers a large area of 16 square kilometers.. This settlement has been under soil and forest for hundreds of years.. Found in 1785. Currently only 20% of this archaeological site has been exposed. 80% of it is still in the forest, waiting to come to light.
Palenque dates back to 2300 BC.. The traces of Mayan culture are very deep in Central American countries (Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, El Salvador, Honduras, Costa Rica, Nicaragua).. Maya history in Mexico is seen in an area of 600 square kilometers. These include the federal states of Chiapas, Yucatan, Campeche, Tobasco, Quintana Roo.. There are approximately 2,000 archaeological sites in this area.. The shamanistic and magic-dominated period falls between 2300 BC and 200 AD. They live in the pro-classical period when the clergy were the rulers between 200-300 years.. The period between 300 and 900 is known as the classical period, and between 900 and 1521 as the post-classical period.
Mayas settled in the south of Central America after 1500 AD and lived their classical ages in Chiapas, Honduras and Guatemala. they are starting. They live their heyday on the Yucatan peninsula.. After the influence of the Toltecs and the Aztecs, they are weakening. But after the Spanish invasion. They can stay in this region until the 19th century.
Palenque is dated between 300-900. The city, which was found in 1785, has been preserved until today since it was in the forest.. It is estimated that 40,000 people live in this city, which is spread over an area of 16 square kilometers, and 4,000 of them are elite class and live in the center of the city. Mayans were engaged in agriculture and hunting.. They were quite advanced in fruit and vegetable cultivation.. In addition, they stretched all the way to the Gulf of Mexico, they fished, and they could bring the fish to the interior by salting it.
Mayans, small people.. Their height is around 1.50 – 1.60. Since they think that oval-shaped and flat skulls express the mind, they bring their children’s heads into a flat form by squeezing them between the boards from the front and back since infancy.. In this way, the child’s head, which has been clamped since infancy, gradually becomes oval.. We saw the same method in Peru and Bolivia and it was very remarkable.. In the same way, since they thought that strabismus was a sign of intelligence, they tried to make children look in different directions to squint since they were born. they decorate with paints. Polygamy is very common. It is assumed that a family in the elite class has at least 30 children.
The place where the king’s palace is located is the center of the city.. The palace was built on a platform of 300 meters by 240 meters.. The tower of the palace was used as an observatory.. Opposite the stairs of the palace are the temples of the Sun and the Cross.
The frescoes in the written temple depict social life.. At the top are chief Halacnuinic, below are the clergy, aristocrats, and below are priests, architects and scientists.. Below them are the merchants using the cocoa bean as currency, and at the bottom are the farmers, who are pictured connected to each other on their foreheads.
The 21-meter-high pyramid 7. and 9. It was built between the centuries but only 10. The courtyard in the middle of the palace was used for religious ceremonies.. Stairs on both sides of the palace symbolize the sunrise and sunset.. One of the most original things that the palace has is its sauna. We continue our tour here in the rainforest.. On our walk in the forest we see a wide variety of interesting trees. The root parts of some trees are like concrete pillars, just like Angkor Wat.. Cocoa and gum trees predominate in this forest.. Also, some trees in this forest hugged each other and grew together.. Trees that grow in this way are called Epiphytes.. While wandering in the forest, one cannot help but think; “Who knows how many temples and settlements will be revealed under the forest we are walking on”
Next, we toured the funerary monument of the Red Queen (King Pakal’s mother). The jewelery and valuables found in all these graves were taken away by someone.
There are burial chambers in the pyramids in this region, just like the Egyptian pyramids, but they were completely emptied.
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We are visiting the museum inside the ruins. Here we see the alphabet that has not yet been deciphered. If it can be solved, it is certain that many more things will come to light.. In this museum, King Pakal reigned for 69 years and died at the age of 81.. Various knives made of jade are among the most important pieces of the museum.
Palenque is one of the must-see places in Mexico.. Aqua Azul Waterfalls around it is a truly attractive place with its colorful parrots, ruins, temples and pyramids and many more areas waiting to be discovered…
Palenque located very close to the archaeological site. Hotel Chablis Palenque and Hotel Cañada Internacional are among the hotels you can choose during your trip.
