Temple of the Inscriptions
Lakamha (Palenque) · Chiapas, Mexico · 683–692 CE (completed after the death of Pakal in 683), Late Classic Maya
The Temple of the Inscriptions is the tallest and most famous pyramid of Palenque: beneath its eight tiers of stone lies one of the greatest Maya rulers, Pakal the Great, whose sarcophagus was found only in 1952. The sanctuary is adorned with one of the longest Maya hieroglyphic texts (617 signs). This is a Maya funerary “cosmic” temple, not a Mesopotamian tower.
Dossier
- Type: Stepped structure
- Ancient city: Lakamha (Palenque)
- Modern location: Chiapas, Mexico
- Dedication: Funerary temple of K'inich Janaab Pakal (Pakal the Great)
- Dating: 683–692 CE (completed after the death of Pakal in 683), Late Classic Maya
- Builders: begun by K'inich Janaab Pakal himself (Pakal the Great, 603–683) as his own funerary monument; completed and decorated by his son and heir K'inich Kan B'alam II
- Material: limestone; the pier reliefs are stucco modeled over stone
- Plan: a stepped pyramid rectangular in plan (8 tiers) with a sanctuary on top: a five-bay portico with piers and three chambers behind it; inside, a secret stairway leads down to the burial vault of Pakal; nine levels in all (the symbolism of the nine worlds of Xibalba)
- Height (surviving): about 22.8 m
- Tiers: 9
What matters
Pakal the Great himself began building the Temple of the Inscriptions as his own burial place, and his son completed it soon after 683. The eight tiers of the pyramid together with the temple on top make nine levels — a symbol of the nine worlds of the Maya underworld. The pyramid stands about 23 m high.