Palenque

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Mysterious ancient ruins, hidden deep in the jungle of southern Mexico In May 1840, explorers John Stephens and Frederick Catherwood road their mules along a steep, muddy jungle path. They were hoping to find the ruins of an ancient, deserted site in Mexico they knew only from visitors’ accounts. Through the trees, they spied the remains of a crumbling stone palace. Palenque! In the weeks they spent there, the men discovered intricately designed buildings and mysterious glyphs, or symbols. Who built this city? What did the glyphs mean? The questions remained largely unanswered until the 1950s, when Mexican archaeologist Alberto Ruz Lhuillier began his work at Palenque. By this time, he knew the ruins were those of the ancient Maya, who lived across Mexico and Central America more than one thousand years ago. After exhaustive work, Ruz and his crew made an amazing discovery—a tomb buried deep inside a pyramid. Through intensive study of Mayan glyphs, they learned the tomb was that of the great Mayan king Pakal, who died in 683 A.D. Since then, archaeologists have discovered much more about Mayan pyramids, writing, and architecture. Read this intriguing volume to learn about Palenque and about the mysteries that still remain.