Palenque

A Classic Maya city in the foothills of northern Chiapas, Palenque is distinguished by its elaborate stucco bas-reliefs, detailed hieroglyphic inscriptions, and the funerary crypt of Pakal the Great discovered beneath the Temple of the Inscriptions. Dense jungle grows to the edge of the cleared ceremonial core, and cascading streams cross the site. Howler monkeys and toucans inhabit the surrounding forest reserves.