Surrounded by jungle, Palenque's setting is like nowhere else, its Mayan architecture and decoration exquisite. With the exception of Comalcalco to the northwest on the Gulf coast, it is the westernmost Mayan site.

Evidence from pottery fragments indicates that the site at Palenque was first occupied more than 1500 years ago, but flourished during the late Classic period, reaching its zenith in the 7th-century when many of the plazas and buildings you can see today were constructed under the rule of Lord Pacal (AD615-683) then later continued under the reign of his son, Chan-Bahlum.

The site straddles the geographical divide between the highlands of Chiapas, the steamy lowlands of the Mexican Gulf and the great Yucatán plain. The buildings rest elegantly within the reaches of the dark green rainforest; to the north, the site looks out over a vast, flat, as-far-as-the-eye-can-see stubbly plain, stretching to the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico.

You enter the site at the core of the ruined city's most important buildings, all brimming with terraces and steps. Ahead of you stands the labyrinthine Palace complex with its extraordinary and architecturally rare (for Mayan sites) tower and off to the right - tucked up against the dense and overgrown hillside - the elaborate 26m-high nine-tier pyramid with the Temple of Inscriptions at the summit of 69 very steep but climbable steps. A dank and narrow stairway descends from here 25m into the heart of the pyramid where the crypt (10am-4pm) of the King Pacal was uncovered in 1952 -- the first such burial found in the Americas and arguably the most important tomb in the Mayan world.

Facing you as you first emerge into the central plaza is the Palace, an administrative or residential maze of enclosed private courtyards and rooms decorated with sculptured panels and steps, all standing on a platform 69.5m (228 ft) on one side and 10m high. The square tower lends Palenque a quality distinct from other Mayan sites. Near the tower are remains of steam baths and lavatories .

Walking slightly downhill over the lawns of the cleared plaza towards the buildings known as the North Group, you reach the ballcourt [13], this one on a much smaller scale compared to others such as at Chichén Itzá in the Yucatán.