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PALENQUE.
Term Paper ID:30062
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Essay Subject:
Discusses the importance of this Mayan architectural site in Mexico.... More...
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10 Pages / 2250 Words
6 sources, 17 Citations,
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Paper Abstract:
Discusses the importance of this Mayan architectural site in Mexico. Its variations from the Mayan norm. Its utilization of new forms of architecture and art-forms. Innovations. Describes the site. Composition of its structure. Excavations of the ruin. Discoveries, including a Pyramid. Intricate hieroglyphs found. Historical and cultural value of Mayan glyphs.
Paper Introduction:
Palenque is the most important Maya architectural site in Mexico, surpassing even Chichen-itza in its grandeur. Discovered by the Spaniards in the late eighteenth century, Palenque has amazed archaeologists for generations. Palenque’s main attraction for archaeologists lies in its many variations from the Maya norm. The Mayas who constructed the Palenque compound utilized new forms of architecture, unveiled new kinds of art-forms, and left behind perhaps the finest sarcophagus in all the Americas. Because of the sheer number and scope of the revelations that Palenque has provided on the Maya who built it, the site stands as arguably the most important Maya architectural site. Regardless of its standing among its peers, Palenque remains unique because of the hauntingly beautiful nature of the site’s plan and scope.
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Within the report del Rio presentedon his findings in Palenque, he admits "that he indulged in conjecture,aiming only to remain within the realm of probability" (1 -11). He spentmost of his time exploring the main Palace, and took away thirty-two items-mostly small plaques and hieroglyphs. The dynastylasted for almost four hundred years and reached its height during thereign of Pacal (the Shield) and his son. It iscomposed of two main structures, the Palace and the Temple of Inscriptions,and then many outlying smaller temples of whose main attractions are theCross Group. Works Cited PageBrunhouse, Robert L.: In Search of the Maya, University of New Mexico Press, Albuquerque, 1973.Fagan, Brian M.: Eyewitness to Discovery: First-Person Accounts of More Than Fifty of the World's Greatest Archaeological Discoveries, Oxford University Press, New York, 1996.Schele, Linda and Mathews, Peter: The Code of Kings: The Language of Seven Sacred Maya Temples and Towers, Scribner Press, New York, 1998.Stuart, George L.: The Mysterious Maya, National Geographic Society, Washington D.C., 1977.von Hagen, Victor Wolfgang: The Ancient Sun Kingdoms of the Americas, Paladin Press, New York, 1961.http://www.discoveringarchaeology.com/articles/ 13 1-palenque.shtml Using these clues, Ruz decided that there must be somethingbeneath the chamber (Stuart 74). Jade jewelry was draped all over the corpse, and a jade bead layinside the mouth. Four of the other buildings are outwardly similar tothe Palace: the Temples of the Cross, the Inscriptions, and the FoliatedCross. Indeed, the new methods of construction that gracePalenque had an unforeseen and lucky side-effect: the wide overhangingeaves of the temples at Palenque protected and preserved the gracefulstucco bas-reliefs that decorated the temples' facades (73). Palenque is one of the largest Maya archaeological sites. It is in Palenque that the Maya notions of death and rebirthseem to merge together, however. The result of this innovation was to give thebuildings "a lighter structure, which allowed wider rooms and much largerdoorways" (Stuart 73). Allthe buildings are decorated on the outside with figures and ornaments madeout of stucco; in Palenque's hey-day these decorations were brilliantlypainted and must have been quite a sight. One of theflagstones towards the rear of the room had a double row of pluggedperforations. Thus, one of the most impressive andenigmatic discoveries in Maya archaeology occurred in Palenque. This new style of architecture is particularlyimpressive compared with the Maya ruins at Tikal, where the temple roomsare extremely narrow and the walls are sometimes twice as thick as therooms are wide. Today, its vibrant beauty remainson display locked in the stucco and mortar that have withstood the test oftime. Palenque's main attraction for archaeologists lies in itsmany variations from the Maya norm. It is a remarkable site that hascontributed vast sums of information to our knowledge of the early Mayaculture. In 1773 an indigenous farmer brought the ancient Mayaruin to the attention of a priest, who was utterly amazed by what he saw.The priest made a report of what he saw (von Hagen 178). Although we are still no closer to knowing why the Maya empirecollapsed, Palenque has given archaeologists around the world a glimpse atthe splendor that the Maya created in their prime. Although the cities are separated by numerous naturalbarriers such as rivers, ravines, and thick jungle, archaeologists believethat some kind of contact between the city-states was possible or evenprobable. Ironicallyenough, archaeologists have yet to figure out the actual Maya name for themetropolis. Ruz had discovered one of the sacred rulers of the Maya, and with ithe unleashed a major controversy in Maya archaeology. Josef Estacheria,the President of the Royal Audiencia of Guatemala, became intrigued by theaccount of the fabulous ruins in Chiapas. A long dynasty of talented lords ruled over the city,beginning with Chan-Bahlum (Snake-Jaguar) on March 11, 431. Another notable discovery was made at Palenque in 1973. Below Palenque, the lush coastal plain of Tabascoextends all the way to the Gulf of Mexico. After sending two different setsof inept explorers to document the site and receiving no tangible results,Estacheria dispatched a third mission headed by Antonio del Rio in 1786.Del Rio went on to commence the work on what has been one of the mostbreathtaking and enigmatic ruins in the Americas (Brunhouse, 6-9). Pacal ruled for sixty sevenyears, and during his reign Palenque flourished into one of the dominantMayan cities. Set upon this scenic vista liesthe true beauty of Palenque-its unequaled architecture. Waldeck set out for Palenque in 1832 andactually built a hut on the site. Although archaeologists haveyet to decipher the ancient Maya name for the city, the main element of theglyph on the sarcophagus that holds the mystery to the city's name is theshape of a vulture (Stuart 78). Originally thought to be a ceremonial city, a recent discoveryrevealed that the city was a bustling urban metropolis. The Mayaarchitects that constructed Palenque revolutionized the methods utilized inthe construction of the day. On thewest bank of the river lies the magnificent Palace, an irregularrectangular building 34 by 24 feet and 64 feet high. For over eighteen months,the Barnhart team eschewed the traditional exploration of main site andinstead turned their attention to the almost impenetrable jungle thatsurrounds the site. The vulture was traditionally seen in Mayaculture as a harbinger of death, so that may lend credence to the idea thePalenque was a place where the Maya concepts of life and death united.Lending credence to this idea is Pacal's tomb, which is painted red-thecolor of the East, where the sun is symbolically reborn each day. Since Palenque's first explorations in the late eighteenth centurycountless archaeologists have passed through the ancient Maya ruin. The archaeologists made groundbreaking strides in theirtranslation of the Maya texts, noting that "the rich and expressive scriptused by the Maya in their writing system could faithfully record everynuance of sound, meaning, and grammatical structure in their language"(22). Over a hundred years later, Palenque was the site of the mostspectacular discovery in Maya archaeology. Each of these similar buildingsfeatures a large room with an altar and a carved wall panel (178-179).These similar structures all boast the beautiful architecture that is sounique to Palenque among Maya archaeological sites. Del Rio'sexplorations were those of an amateur, and contributed little to thearchaeological body of work that has been unearthed at Palenque.Nevertheless del Rio went down in history as the first archaeologist tostep foot on this most important Maya ruin. All these structures have an artificially raised pyramid, with asingle structure on top crested by an intricately decorated roof comb. The entrance to the Palace is festooned with "archaically carvedstone figures, and the sides of the edifice are decorated with stuccofigures in high relief, regarded by all as the finest anywhere" (178).Within the Palace there are carved stone panels that boast remarkably wellpreserved Maya texts. Thus, Palenque has the distinction of being the actual site of majorbreakthroughs in the study of the Maya written language. The French explorer lived there foralmost four months, thereby becoming the first archaeologist to spend asignificant amount of time on site. "We have discovered many new features,including a wealth of aqueducts, canals, and drains, all used to providerunning water for its urban neighborhoods," Barnhart says. Palenque's official discovery as an archaeological site occurred inthe late 17 's. Although Waldeck was an opportunistand a shameless self-aggrandizer, he did make a significant contributionthe world's knowledge of Palenque. When the archaeologists opened the sarcophagus, the found thepoorly preserved remains of a tall man with all the trappings of Mayaroyalty. When Pacal was close to death, he erected thefabulous Temple of Inscriptions to house his bodily remains (Fagan 345).The construction took over fifteen years; it would take over a thousandyears for the world to learn of the Temple's secrets. Althougharchaeologists disagree exact date of the ruler's death, it is typicallyagreed that his name was Pacal and that the mysterious monarch died towardsthe end of the seventh century. The Maya glyphs that have been deciphered tell a lurid tale of thecity's history. It now appears that the calligraphic elegance of the Mayawriting system derives from its origin as a painted script. As they explored, they discovered over a thousand newbuildings-effectively quadrupling the known size of the city(discoveringarchaeology.com). Palenque may be the most beautiful and evocative of all Maya ruins.The site lies on a narrow shelf of land abutting the forested escarpment ofthe Chiapas highlands. At thePalenque Round Table of 1973, archaeologists from around the world gatheredto discuss the findings that had been made in the magical ruined city.Over the course of a week the archaeologists debated the meaning of theintricate hieroglyphs that adorn virtually every building in Palenque aswell as the now-legendary Temple of Inscriptions. As one of theanthropologists who was at the Round Table relates, "in many ways thisconference was a turning point in the field of Maya hieroglyphic studies"(Schele 22). In the Spring of 1949, Mexicanarchaeologist Alberto Ruz was assigned by Mexico's National Institute ofAnthropology and History to restore some of the Palenque ruins. After careful excavation, Ruz discovereda secret staircase that led below into the heart of the massive pyramid.It took three years of laborious excavation to follow the staircase to itsfinal destination: a secret chapel, which was almost filled with a greatslab atop an altar, decorated with red hieroglyphs. The stunninggracefulness of the Maya architecture at Palenque is overshadowed only bythe beauty of its natural surroundings. Discovered by the Spaniardsin the late eighteenth century, Palenque has amazed archaeologists forgenerations. "Palenque'swater-management system is probably the most complex ever built by theancient Maya." This revelation changes the traditional view of the city.No longer is Palenque thought to be a ceremonial city where only thenobility lived, now it is understood that the city was a vibrant andthriving early-American metropolis. Palenque continues to astound archaeologists over two hundred yearsafter its exploration commenced. While there is nodirect evidence of trade or contact between these ancient cities, theirart, sculpture, calendric system, and glyph writing all bear strikingsimilarities. Once Ruz removed the slab, he made a shocking discovery.The slab had lain atop a sarcophagus, and not an altar as was previouslythought. It seems likely that Palenque was as impressive andpowerful city in its day as it is today. The slab was twelvefeet by seven feet, and depicted a man reclining on the glaring face of anearth monster. The site is divided in half by a small river that wascanalized to flow through a highly unusual corbelled-arch sewer. The archaeologists also were able toparaphrase whole texts from Palenque for the first time and began to piecetogether an understanding of the messages the rulers of the city had leftfor their people on the walls of the many temples. Equal parts bon-vivant, publicity hound, and amateurarchaeologist, Waldeck managed to convince the government of Mexico to funda two-year journey to Palenque. The Maya architects made the upper facades ofthe temples in Palenque slope backward at the same angle as the slant ofthe corbelled walls inside. Near the left foot there was a jade statuette of the sungod. The archaeologists atthe Round Table were able to link the seven kings of Palenque to thebuildings they commissioned. Thefirst important "modern" archaeologists to visit the site was Jean FredericWaldeck. During thecourse of his exploration of the site, Ruz noticed that the floor in therear chamber of the Temple of Inscriptions was not stucco, like most Mayafloors, but rather constructed of carefully fitted flagstones. Palenque lies 28 miles northwest of Copan, the nearest large Maya city. Regardless of its standing among itspeers, Palenque remains unique because of the hauntingly beautiful natureof the site's plan and scope. Although we do notand may never know the Maya name for this most beautiful of Maya cities, itis clear that the imagery of life and death played a significant role inthe collective psyche of the city's residents. Being the westernmost of the ClassicPeriod Cities, Palenque probably bore intimate associations with theUnderworld (because the sun set in the West). Archaeologist EdBarnhart has led a team at Palenque since 1998. In its prime, Palenque must have been a tremendously impressivesight rising out of the lush vegetation. The Maya empire was characterized by political disunity butcultural unity, and it now seems apparent that geography did not preventthe free exchange of intellectual ideas between independent Maya states(von Hagen 178). Palenque is the most important Maya architectural site in Mexico,surpassing even Chichen-itza in its grandeur. Pacal and his son, Chan-Bahlum, gained control over anenormous geographical area through political marriage, diplomaticoffensives, and conquest. The Mayas who constructed the Palenquecompound utilized new forms of architecture, unveiled new kinds of art-forms, and left behind perhaps the finest sarcophagus in all the Americas.Because of the sheer number and scope of the revelations that Palenque hasprovided on the Maya who built it, the site stands as arguably the mostimportant Maya architectural site. Waldeck also drew the first accurate mapof the settlement, and made some molds of the figures that adorn the sitewith their grandeur (Brunhouse 65-68). The Palace boaststhick walls and an interior open area from which a four story tower rises-an engineering feature which is unique in Maya architecture (von Hagen178). Themagnificent carving of Pacal that fills the room places him directlybetween the earth and the underworld, a passage that copies that of theLord Sun in which death is actually rebirth (78-79). Palenque truly deservesits pre-eminent place in archaeology. What is trulyremarkable, however, is the Maya drive to find new and innovative ways toimprove the way they wrote their words. Amazed by the intricacy of the language, the archaeologists madegood use of Palenque's incredibly well preserved long texts to practicetheir trade. Waldeck's main accomplishment are thebeautiful drawings he made of the entire site, well over 9 pictures thatcapture the essence of Palenque.
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