page_title: Palenque, Chiapas
section_title: History
hierarchical_section_title: Palenque, Chiapas / History
caption_attribution_description: English: Scene at the main plaza of the town of Palenque, Chiapas, Mexico
context_page_description: Palenque is a city and municipality located in the north of the state of Chiapas, Mexico. The city was named almost 200 years before the nearby Mayan ruins were discovered in the 18th century. The area has a significant indigenous population, mostly of the Ch'ol people, a Mayan descendant. The city is the only urban area in a municipality of over 600 communities, and is surrounded by rainforest. Deforestation has had dramatic effects on the local environment, with howler monkeys occasionally seen in the city as they seek food. While most of the municipality's population is economically marginalized, working in agriculture, the Palenque archeological site is one of the most important tourist attractions for the area and the state of Chiapas. It is the poorest major city in the state of Chiapas.
context_section_description: The name Palenque comes from Spanish and means “wood stake fence.” It is a literal translation of the Ch’ol word “otulún” which means fenced or fortified place.  The modern town was founded by Friar Pedro Lorenzo near the ruins of the same name in 1567. It was founded to congregate the Ch’ol indigenous families that were dispersed in this part of the Lacadon rainforest. In 1768, the state of Chiapas was divided into “alcaldía mayores” with Palenque belonging to that of Ciudad Real (San Cristóbal de las Casas). In 1813, the settlement was officially declared a town. In 1821, a road between Bachajon and Palenque was constructed, and the town's first school was established in 1828. In 1847, the area became part of the department of Tila. Two year later it was made into its own department. The annual fair of Santo Domingo (Saint Dominic) was authorized in 1877. In 1883, the state was reorganized into twelve departments with Palenque as head of one of them. A railroad connecting the town with the Gulf of Mexico was constructed at this time, with the Pakalna station, which still exists. The municipality system was created in the state in 1915, with Palenque head of its own municipality. The first airfield was established in 1931 and mail and telegraph arrived in 1941. In 1972 it was declared a city by the governor of the state of Chiapas. The Casa de Cultura was founded in 1980 with the main road paved in 1990. The Cecytec technical college was founded in 1994. The modern airport was created in 1997.
  The ancient Mayan site of Palenque was unknown to the Spanish when they founded the town. Since its discovery in 1740 by Father Antonio Solís, it has been culturally and economically important to the city and municipality. The ruins were visited in 1773 by Ramon Ordóñez de Aguilar representing the province of Guatemala, to which Chiapas belonged. The ruins were visited by English explorer Thomas McKay in 1822. The tomb of Pakal was discovered by Alberto Ruz Lhuillier in 1951. The Palenque site museum was established in 1958.  Today, the site is one of the most important tourism attractions in Chiapas.
caption: Community market in Palenque.
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