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<< Our Photo Pages >> Palenque - Ancient Village or Settlement in Mexico in Chiapas

Submitted by LivingRocks on Wednesday, 27 July 2016  Page Views: 23258

Multi-periodSite Name: Palenque
Country: Mexico Region: Chiapas Type: Ancient Village or Settlement
Nearest Town: Palenque
Latitude: 17.484673N  Longitude: 92.046642W
Condition:
5Perfect
4Almost Perfect
3Reasonable but with some damage
2Ruined but still recognisable as an ancient site
1Pretty much destroyed, possibly visible as crop marks
0No data.
-1Completely destroyed
5 Ambience:
5Superb
4Good
3Ordinary
2Not Good
1Awful
0No data.
5 Access:
5Can be driven to, probably with disabled access
4Short walk on a footpath
3Requiring a bit more of a walk
2A long walk
1In the middle of nowhere, a nightmare to find
0No data.
5 Accuracy:
5co-ordinates taken by GPS or official recorded co-ordinates
4co-ordinates scaled from a detailed map
3co-ordinates scaled from a bad map
2co-ordinates of the nearest village
1co-ordinates of the nearest town
0no data
5

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I have visited· I would like to visit

DrewParsons MelissaBWrite radrad would like to visit

Jansold visited on 21st Feb 2019 - their rating: Cond: 4 Amb: 5 Access: 5

XIII visited on 1st Sep 2012 - their rating: Cond: 4 Amb: 5 Access: 5

john_op_stap visited on 9th Feb 2004 - their rating: Cond: 3 Amb: 5 Access: 5 If you want the place all to yourself, stay after 14h00, when all the tourbusses have left ;)

ModernExplorers visited on 3rd Jan 2003 - their rating: Cond: 3 Amb: 5 Access: 4 More beautiful Mayan ruins set in the middle of the jungle

SolarMegalith visited on 1st Mar 2002 - their rating: Cond: 4 Amb: 5 Access: 5

Tdiver visited on 1st Jan 1992 - their rating: Cond: 3 Amb: 5 Access: 5

sirius_b visited on 1st Aug 1982 - their rating: Cond: 5 Amb: 5



Average ratings for this site from all visit loggers: Condition: 3.71 Ambience: 5 Access: 4.83

Palenque
Palenque submitted by LivingRocks : The Temple of the Sun. (Vote or comment on this photo)
Palenque ancient city (Chiapas, Mexico) in the northwest of the Maya lowlands is considered one of the most important archaeological sites of Mesoamerica. As in other Maya areas, here there was a vigorous development in religious and civil architecture, as well as in art and crafts.

The earliest evidence of occupation dates from about 100 BC, when it may have been a small farming village (formative period). Throughout the early classic period (300-600 AD) the city grew steadily and by the late classic period (600-900 AD) it had become the power centre that ruled over a large part of what today is the states of Chiapas & Tabasco.
(Taken From the site information board)

Inscriptions indicate a break in the dynasty that had ruled Palenque in the early 700s. Inscriptions about the last king and the cessation of new buildings coincide at aroung 800 AD.

Note: Water Tunnel Discovered at Palenque's Temple of Inscriptions and was it intended to carry the dead to the Underworld? See the comments on our page for more
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Palenque
Palenque submitted by LivingRocks : The Temple of the Inscriptions - Pacal's Tomb. There is currently no access to the tomb itself, even the reconstruction in the site museum was closed at the time of my visit (Feb 07). (Vote or comment on this photo)

Palenque
Palenque submitted by LivingRocks : The Palace. (Vote or comment on this photo)

Palenque
Palenque submitted by Jurgen : Mayan Temple complex in Yucatan, Mexico. (Vote or comment on this photo)

Palenque
Palenque submitted by karolus : Temple of the Inscriptions (Vote or comment on this photo)

Palenque
Palenque submitted by LivingRocks : Overview of the site from the Temple of the Cross.

Palenque
Palenque submitted by wirzroland : The grave chamber of Palenque. Plate of the sarcophagus (4.5 tons). Site in Chiapas Mexico

Palenque
Palenque submitted by durhamnature : Old photo, from "Mexican Archaeology" via archive.org Site in Chiapas Mexico

Palenque
Palenque submitted by durhamnature : Imagined restoration of the palace, from "Introduction to the Study of Archaeology" via archive.org Site in Chiapas Mexico

Palenque
Palenque submitted by SolarMegalith : Site in Mexico: Another part of ruins covered by jungle, far away from the Palace, Temple of Inscriptions and "juego de pelota" ...

Palenque
Palenque submitted by davidmorgan : Inside the tomb of K’uk Bahlam I at Palenque. Photo: INAH.

Palenque_Repro_Mayan_priest_smoking
Palenque_Repro_Mayan_priest_smoking submitted by bat400_photo : Classic Era Mayan priest smoking. Reproduction of early or mid 19C rendering of image from Palenque, Mexico. Source: Smoke: a global history of smoking (2004) edited by Sander L. Gilman and Zhou Xun ISBN 1-86189-200-4, p. 10 (1 comment)

Palenque
Palenque submitted by karolus : El Palacio

Palenque
Palenque submitted by john_op_stap : Palenque Museum - 10/02/04 Palenque : don''t forget to visit the on site museum, some gems there! Image copyright: john_op_stap (John Schelstraete), hosted on Flickr and displayed under the terms of their API.

Palenque
Palenque submitted by durhamnature : The temple of the sun. Old photo from "Prehistoric America 4" via archive.org

Palenque
Palenque submitted by john_op_stap : Palenque - 09/02/04 Palenque : the core of the Site, Temple of Inscriptions and the Palace Image copyright: john_op_stap (John Schelstraete), hosted on Flickr and displayed under the terms of their API.

Palenque
Palenque submitted by durhamnature : Old photo from "Ruins of Mexico" via archive.org Site in Chiapas Mexico

Palenque
Palenque submitted by durhamnature

Palenque
Palenque submitted by durhamnature : Drawing, from "Ancient America" via archive.org Site in Chiapas Mexico

Palenque
Palenque submitted by durhamnature

Palenque
Palenque submitted by durhamnature : The Palenque "cross", from "Archaeological Report" (of Ontario Museum) via archive.org

Palenque
Palenque submitted by durhamnature : Temple of the cross, from "Mexican Archaeology" via archive.org Site in Chiapas Mexico

Palenque
Palenque submitted by SolarMegalith : Site in Mexico: Palenque - less known part of the ruins. Just enter the jungle... and you will be flooded with Pre-Colombian remains!

Palenque
Palenque submitted by durhamnature : Old photo from "Ruins of Mexico" via archive.org Site in Chiapas Mexico

Palenque
Palenque submitted by durhamnature : Detail of stone relief, from "Mexican Archaeology" via archive.org Site in Chiapas Mexico

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"Palenque" | Login/Create an Account | 18 News and Comments
  
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Water Tunnel Discovered at Palenque’s Temple of Inscriptions by bat400 on Wednesday, 27 July 2016
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Underground anomalies detected in front of the steps at the Temple of Inscriptions at the Maya site of Palenque have led to the discovery of a water tunnel with a fitted stone cover.

Archaeologist Arnoldo Gonzalez told the Associated Press that the same type of stone covering has been found inside the temple, in the floor of the tomb of K’inich Janaab Pakal, ruler of Palenque between A.D. 615 and 683. Researchers used a robot fitted with a camera to examine the small shaft, but no link to the tomb has been found so far.

Archaeologist Arnoldo Gonzalez said researchers believe the tomb and pyramid were purposely built atop a spring between AD 683 and 702. The tunnel led water from under the funeral chamber out into the broad esplanade in front of the temple, thus giving Pakal’s spirit a path to the underworld. This idea is based upon an inscription found on a pair of stone ear plugs from in the grave.

A similar water tunnel has been found at Teotihuacán. “In both cases there was a water current present. There is this allegorical meaning for water…where the cycle of life begins and ends,” said Pedro Sanchez Nava, director of archaeology for the National Institute of Anthropology and History.

Sources: http://www.archaeology.org/news/ and AP report, Denver Post.
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Re: Palenque Mayan temple - did water tunnel under pyramid carry dead to Underworld? by AngieLake on Wednesday, 27 July 2016
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News online today has this theory:

"Did the Maya build temples on top of rivers? Water tunnel found under ancient pyramid may have carried dead to the underworld"

"Archaeologists found a 2ft wide tunnel under the Temple of Inscriptions
It runs under tomb of Mayan ruler Pakal, beneath the temple pyramid
Experts say Maya believed water would carry his spirit to the underworld
Dispels theories that Pakal was an alien astronaut who ruled the Mayans"

For more news, maps and photos ...

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-3707409/Mexico-finds-water-tunnels-Pakal-tomb-Palenque.html#ixzz4FbhUc200
Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook
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Re: Palenque by john_op_stap on Saturday, 16 November 2013
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For those who never get enough, many pictures from the site and some from the on site museum

Please be invited to feast on carvings!
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Re: Palenque by davidmorgan on Thursday, 21 February 2013
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There appear to be some really nice carvings at Palenque. I wonder if they are on display there or are they in a museum somewhere?
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    Re: Palenque by bat400 on Thursday, 21 February 2013
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    In addition to the carvings at the site (most of them) there are some displayed in an on-site museum, as well as the National Museum in Mexico City, and the Dumbarton Oaks library in Washington DC.
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Archaeologists enter Royal Tomb at Palenque by davidmorgan on Tuesday, 22 January 2013
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A multidisciplinary team from the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) has for the first time entered a burial chamber discovered 13 years ago in Palenque. The tomb contained the remains of one of the first rulers of the ancient city – K uk Bahlam I - who came to power in 431 AD and founded the dynasty which included the famous Mayan ruler Pakal.

Before the small group of specialists entered the tomb, a tiny video camera was inserted to view the condition of the frescoes last seen in 1999 during the work of the Institute of Pre-Columbian Art Research and again briefly in 2011.

Archaeologist Arnoldo Gonzalez Cruzwho who made the discovery of the tomb of the Red Queen in Palenque in 1994, along with restorer and fellow archaeologist, Rogelio Rivero Chong, decided to re-examine and further conserve the Temple XX tomb, located in the South Acropolis of Palenque in the land of Lakamha or “Place of the Great Waters”.

“We are at the birth of the Palenque dynasty, around 400 AD, and likely looking at the funerary enclosure of its founder; although this continues to be speculation pending further archaeological exploration,” explained Arnoldo Gonzalez. “Even this space could be an antechamber, we do not yet know if there are lower chambers. “

On the floor of the chamber, no skeletal remains have yet been spotted; however, already visible are eleven vessels and about a hundred smaller artefacts such as beads, mostly green stone, possibly jade and the rich red murals decorating the walls.

Brilliant red hues of the murals

Unlike the burial chambers of Pakal and the Red Queen, the chamber or antechamber of Temple XX has yet to reveal a sarcophagus, but the highlight is the brilliant red hues of the murals on three sides, with representations of the Nine Lords of Xibalba, a common theme in the tombs of Maya rulers.

The murals depict mythical characters wearing headgear, shields and sandals. The importance of burial sites from the Early Classic period (400-550 CE), are the rare fresco images and this is one of the few examples of murals discovered in funerary contexts at Palenque.

The murals had only been seen before on video,but now archaeologists, restorers, chemists, architects, photographers and graphic designers, have been able to directly observe the paintings and begin the task of preservation.

Although the multidisciplinary team consists of 60 individuals, the tomb can only contain two or three people at one time – who must also wear Tyvek coveralls (to avoid any contamination). Humidity and temperature, is strictly controlled to remain at 25 ° centigrade.

The burial chamber is rectangular, measuring 3.40 m long, 1.43 wide and 2.50 m high and project members will enter this main chamber by a smaller one that is located on the west side.

Although the wealth of archaeological materials from the tomb of Temple XX is clear, they will not be retrieved during the stabilisation of the mural. Early studies show a high concentration of mercuric sulfide or cinnabar, a pigment that was highly valued in Mesoamerica and often used in funerary images

The conservators will record, photograph and draw the murals before consolidating the weakened borders where collapse has already happened and then, to prevent the collapse of the fragments, a lime slurry injection is inserted to hold the mural in place.

Having taken thirteen years and with consultation from dozens of specialists, the team are committed to taking their time.

http://www.pasthorizonspr.com/index.php/archives/10/2012/archaeologists-enter-royal-tomb-in-palenque

And INAH - Equipo del INAH ingresa a Tumba Real en Palenque.
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Re: Ancient Mayans Likely Had Fountains and Toilets by Anonymous on Monday, 12 March 2012
why did palenque collapse?
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Tiny camera opens up early Mayan tomb by Andy B on Friday, 24 June 2011
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Footage taken on 5cm camera lowered through pyramid shows painted murals in 1,500-year-old tomb that seems intact

A small, remote-controlled camera lowered into an early Mayan tomb in southern Mexico has revealed a funeral chamber apparently intact, with offerings and red-painted wall murals, researchers say.

Footage of the approximately 1,500-year-old tomb, at the Palenque archaeological site, shows a series of nine figures depicted in black on a vivid, blood-red background. Archaeologists say the images from one of the earliest ruler's tombs found at Palenque will shed new light on the early years of the once-great city state.

The national institute of anthropology and history said archaeologists had known about the tomb since 1999, but were unable to enter it because the pyramid standing above it was unstable and breaking into the chamber could damage the murals.

It said the floor appeared to be covered with detritus and it was not immediately evident in the footage if the tomb contained recognisable remains. But archaeologist Martha Cuevas said the jade and shell fragments seen on the video were "part of a funerary costume".

Read more, and view the video at The Guardian
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/jun/24/tiny-camera-mayan-tomb-palenque
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Archaeologists Permanently Place Stone Slab of Maya Ruler Pakal on Sarcophagus by davidmorgan on Friday, 11 February 2011
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More than 1,300 years after an entourage accompanied the mortal remains of the Maya ruler K’inich Janaab’ Pakal into the crypt at Temple of the Inscriptions, in the ancient city of Palenque, experts from the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) conducted the definitive placement of the slab that covers the sarcophagus.

This work is part of the Palenque Archaeological Zone Program, in Chiapas, which includes consolidation of Temple XX, restoration of Casa C at The Palace, and other minor maintenance tasks at the archaeological site. The recently updated collections are being moved to a new warehouse, while all the information is being gathered in a database.

The hieroglyphic inscriptions of Palenque narrate that the Maya dignitary, also known as Pakal II, passed away on August 28th 683. His rest was interrupted a thousand years later by Mexican archaeologist Alberto Ruz Lhulllier, who, after 4 years of excavations, discovered the funerary chamber on June 12th 1952.

Nine stucco warriors surrounded, as guardians, the extraordinary slab, sculpted over a monolithic sarcophagus. This enormous slab -2.2 meters wide and 3.6 long, with 7 tons in weight- was elevated in the 1950’s to explore the interior of the sepulcher where the remains of the Maya ruler rest.

Since the massive visit to the precinct provoked excessive humidity and high temperature in the tomb, it was closed to the public in 2004. It was also considered the appropriateness of substituting the metallic plaques that supported the slab, since they presented corrosion.

In 2008, INAH, through its National Coordination of Cultural Heritage (CNCPC), backed up an interdisciplinary project designed to define the conservation state of the slab and the other goods at the crypt: stucco reliefs, flattening and steps among other things, which implied a detailed register of conservation, architectural and archaeological aspects.

Specialists from different instances of INAH, such as the National Coordination of Archaeology, the National Coordination of Conservation, the Sub-direction of Laboratories and Academic Support, and the Palenque Archaeological Zone collaborated; the support provided by the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) through its Institute of Engineering was invaluable.

Based on documentary check, high definition photography, analog and digital archaeological drawing and other techniques, a commemorative publication is projected by INAH, which goes beyond the already published information by archaeologists such as Alberto Ruz Lhulllier and Merle Greene.

One of the remarkable aspects of the project of the funerary space conservation is the new registration of the slab of Pakal II with the penetration radar device. This state of the art technology, owned by INAH, allowed knowing if the slab presented fissures or other anomalies that would compromise the removal of the metallic plaques that supported it.

According to the scan conducted by Jose Ortega Ramirez, PhD, from the INAH Geophysics Laboratory, it was concluded that the slab –made out of a single block of sedimentary rock of a thickness that goes from 245 to 290 millimeters- does not present fractures but its northeastern corner presents a high concentration of humidity.

With this information, in July 2010 the metallic beams were substituted with wooden ones while waiting for the report of the INAH Council of Archaeology about the convenience of introducing new stainless steel beams, or place in its original location the slab, since the remains of Pakal have been extensively studied and there are plenty of samples, so it can be permanently closed.

Maneuvers supervised by restorer Rogelio Rivero Chong, sub director at the INAH office of Conservation of the Cultural Heritage, and Abraham Roberto Sanchez Ramirez, chief of the Laboratory of Structures and Material at the Institute of Engineering of the National University of Mexico (UNAM) took place between

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    Re: Archaeologists Permanently Place Stone Slab of Maya Ruler Pakal on Sarcophagus by davidmorgan on Wednesday, 16 February 2011
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    I wonder where it was before, probably in a museum somewhere?

    It's a wonderful piece - features heavily in Chariots of the Gods.

    However, "The widely accepted interpretation of the sarcophagus lid is that Pakal is descending into Xibalba, the Maya underworld. Around the edges of the lid are glyphs representing the Sun, the Moon, Venus, and various constellations, locating this event in the nighttime sky. Below him is the Maya water god, who guards the underworld. Beneath Pakal are the "unfolded" jaws of a dragon or serpent, which Pakal is escaping from, ascending towards the world tree." Wikipedia.
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Pyramid that Contains Maya Tomb at Palenque Archaeological Zone Restored by davidmorgan on Monday, 17 January 2011
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The pyramidal building known as Temple 20 at Palenque Archaeological Zone, in Chiapas, where the existence of a funerary chamber that contains the remains of a high rank character has been confirmed, is being reinforced and restored by specialists from the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) with the aim of guaranteeing its structural stability and the possibility of public visit in the future.

The work part of the site’s Management Plan gives continuity to exploration conducted by archaeologists Merle Greene and Alfonso Morales between 1999 and 2003. Martha Cuevas, researcher at INAH, directs to present the stabilization labors at the 1,400 years old Prehispanic construction.

According to archaeologist Cuevas, the relevance of Temple 20 lies in its dating, which goes back to the Early Classic period (430-600 AD), lapse with little evidence found at Palenque, mainly from the architectural category.

Temple 20 “illustrates an obscure moment of occupation of the ancient city: almost every construction we can admire today dates from the Late Classic period (600 to 850 AD); earlier stages of the site are scarcely known”.

Martha Cuevas explained that “unlike other Mesoamerican cities, it is not easy to detect early stages of buildings at Palenque. In the case of the main temple of Tenochtitlan, Templo Mayor, a base and a temple were built over other similar structures; in Palenque, they dismantled the upper part of the constructions and raised new buildings”.

Regarding the funerary chamber inside the pyramid, the specialist from the INAH Direction for Archaeological Monuments and Zones Public Registration, declared it was identified in 1999 by caving a probing well and introducing a camcorder.

A funerary chamber with mural paintings was captured: on the floor, remains of a person and ceramics allowed determining that the inhumation dates from the Early Classic period, approximately 550 of the Common Era.

“The video recording shows flat vessels and dishes inside the tomb, as well as jade beads, some tesserae, and shell fragments that must have been part of a mask that the entombed personage carried on the belt.

“There are no sarcophagi from the Early Classic period, as the cases of the Reina Roja (Red Queen) or Pakal II; this important character was deposited on slabs directly on the floor of Temple 20. Images do not allow seeing the complete skeleton; apparently, there are just fragments, but this will be confirmed once the mortuary chamber is explored”.

The INAH Council of Archaeology determined that the pyramidal base must be stabilized before exploration to prevent filtration or collapse, safeguarding the conservation of the funerary context. Once this labor ends, investigation at the chamber will be resumed.

Archaeologist Edwin Angulo Torres, in charge of work at Temple 20, mentioned that labor focused on the exploration of the base and the consolidation of the superior temple, resulting in the identification of 2 constructive stages of the building, the first from 430-600 AD and the second from 750-900 AD.

Angulo mentioned that the temple was constructed on a rocky promontory, and Mayas leveled it with gravel and clay fillings that loosened with time, causing foundation laying problems in the northwest area of the building.

“Data obtained by using probing wells and other excavation methods allow us reconstructing hypothetically how the construction’s façade looked like, its bodies and the height of each of them, giving us the approximate appearance of the construction”.

Intervention of Temple 20 also had the objective of “giving the upper temple architectural and structural support, key for conservation of the substructure and the funerary chamber”.

After commenting that in 2011 will take place the second field season, archaeologist Edwin Angulo concluded that the projec

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Fossils reveal that Maya people knew about prehistory by Andy B on Monday, 14 June 2010
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Recent interdisciplinary investigations regarding 31 marine fossils found at Palenque Archaeological Zone, in Chiapas, reveal that Maya people conceived their beliefs parting from this kind of vestiges, so their idea of the underworld was associated to water.

For Palenque inhabitants, marine fossils were the convincing proof of the land being covered by the sea long time ago, and parting from this fact they created their idea of the origin of the world, declared archaeologist Martha Cuevas, responsible, with geologist Jesus Alvarado, of research conducted by the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) and the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM).

Ongoing for 3 years, the investigation is oriented to understand symbolism given by ancient Mayas to Prehistoric vestiges, specifically the 31 specimens found at the archaeological site.

The INAH researcher mentioned that petrified rests have been found mainly at funerary contexts, standing out the fossils of different marine animals, shark teeth and stingray spines deposited as part of funerary offerings.

“During investigation conducted at the North Group temples and the structure in front of them, slabs with marine fossils were used by Mayas as tombstones or offered to deities, which is important in the study of Maya cosmogony”.

Until now, 31 fossils from different periods have been discovered, being the earliest from the Paleocene, nearly 63 million years ago. “Vestiges were used in ritual contexts during the Late Classic period (600-850 AD), when they were found by Palenque people”.

This research “looks forward to know if it was through contact with fossils more than 1,200 years ago, that these elements were incorporated to their world view.

“We believe that parting from these probable chance discoveries they began forming the idea of the creation of the world that we know thanks to iconographic representations and hieroglyphic texts left behind, as well as myths that are part of oral tradition”, commented Martha Cuevas.

More, with a photo at Art Daily
http://www.artdaily.org/index.asp?int_sec=2&int_new=38612
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Re: Palenque by davidmorgan on Wednesday, 26 May 2010
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We've also got this at the Chiapa de Corzo site page.
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Re: Palenque by frogcottage42 on Wednesday, 26 May 2010
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News of earlier use than was previously thought for the pyramids at Palenque was reported : Tomb unearthed
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Ancient Mayans Likely Had Fountains and Toilets by Andy B on Friday, 01 January 2010
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With thanks to Coldrum:

The ancient Mayans may have had enough engineering know-how to master running water, creating fountains and even toilets by controlling water pressure, scientists now suggest.

Perhaps the earliest known example of the intentional creation of water pressure was found on the island of Crete in a Minoan palace dating back to roughly 1400 BC. In the New World, the ability to generate water pressure was previously thought to have begun only with the arrival of the Spanish.

Scientists investigated the Mayan center at Palenque in Chiapas, Mexico. At its height, this major site, inhabited from roughly 100 to 800 AD, had some 1,500 structures — residences, palaces, and temples — holding some 6,000 inhabitants under a series of powerful rulers.

The center at Palenque also had what was arguably the most unique and intricate system of water management known anywhere in the Maya lowlands. These involved elaborate subterranean aqueducts to deal with the spring-fed streams that naturally divide the landscape and could otherwise cause flooding or erosion.

"The ancient Maya called this city Lakamha' or 'Big Water' because of its nine perennial waterways, 56 springs, and hundreds of meters of cascades," said researcher Kirk French, an archaeologist at Pennsylvania State University in University Park.

One peculiar finding at Palenque was a buried, spring-fed conduit some 216 feet long (66 m). While other aqueducts under the site's main plaza stayed relatively level and maintained a roughly constant width, the rectangular conduit was located on a steep slope and abruptly narrowed at its end.

Assuming this sloping conduit was smoothly plastered as the aqueducts were at Palenque, the researchers calculated the resulting water pressure could drive a fountain shooting water roughly 20 feet high (6 m).

"This finding is yet another technological achievement made by the Maya independently of the Old World," French said. "The Maya of Palenque had water pressure technology by 750 AD at the very latest and most likely much earlier."

French noted it has been speculated for decades that the palace in Palenque had running water for toilets. "Getting running water to the palace was impossible without water pressure," he said. Because of this new find, "the toilet theory isn’t so far-fetched."

Running water would have been a luxury, not a necessity.

"I actually think that the creation of water pressure at Palenque was a sign of wealth," French said. "It was definitely not necessary. They had water everywhere. The Maya of Palenque were never more than 150 meters (492 feet) from a source of water. Water pressure technology would have been useful through the display of power and knowledge, similar to how priests and shamans used astronomical events."

There may be other examples of Precolumbian water pressure throughout the Americas that have been unseen or misidentified, French said. For instance, ceramic tubes have been found at several sites throughout central Mexico.

"There is a widely held view that the Maya were not necessarily great engineers because their buildings were relatively simple," French told LiveScience. "But in regards to water management their engineering expertise was by all accounts very impressive."

During the next five years, French plans to use this focus on water in "hydroarchaeology" to shed light on aspects of past life such as droughts, population levels and settlement patterns.

French and his colleague Christopher Duffy, a hydrologist at Pennsylvania State University, detailed their findings online December 16 in the Journal of Archaeological Science.

Source:
http://www.livescience.com/history/091223-mayan-water-pressure.html
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