Palenque, Mexico
Palenque is a town of 42,947 people in Chiapas, Mexico, founded in 1567.
Why visit Palenque
Townapedia lists 4 museums and landmarks, 1 park or trail, 74 places to eat and 34 places to stay in and around town.
Weather in Palenque
Forecast from MET Norway (CC BY 4.0). Full forecast
About Palenque
Palenque is a city and municipality in the Mexican state of Chiapas in southern 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, of Mayan descendant. The city is the only urban area in a municipality of over 600 communities, and is surrounded by rainforest.
From the Wikipedia article Palenque, Chiapas (this version), under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Museums and landmarks4
Parks, trails and playgrounds1
Restaurants and cafes74
Café Literario "Papachema"
Cafe
Bohemia, cultura, interacción, pizza artesanal, café, etc
51 av. 5 mayo
Mo-Su 18:00-23:30
La Oaxaqueña
Restaurant · Mexican · 0.6 km
173-A Benito Juárez
Mo-Su 07:00-23:00
Antojitos El puntalito
Restaurant · Local, Mexican, Sandwich
Tercera Av. Norte Poniente
Mo-Sa 09:00-16:00
Café Campo
Cafe · Breakfast, Burger, Coffee Shop, Mexican, Tea
Mo-Sa 06:00-22:00
Pizzas Expres
Restaurant · Italian Pizza, Pizza, Mexican, Local · 0.9 km
Mo-Su 13:00-21:00
62 more on the map.
Where to stay34
22 more on the map.
History
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.
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.
From the History section of Palenque, Chiapas on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Churches and places of worship3
Shopping18
Gas and EV charging3
Schools, colleges and libraries1
Healthcare10
Map of Palenque
148 places. The map loads OpenStreetMap tiles when you open it.
Getting there and nearby towns
Palenque International Airport (PQM) is the nearest airport with scheduled flights listed in OpenStreetMap, 5 km away.
- Babilonia 3 km south, about 3 min by car
- Doctor Samuel León Brindis 10 km southeast, about 10 min by car
- El Naranjo 11 km southwest, about 11 min by car
- Belisario Domínguez 11 km south, about 11 min by car
- Ignacio Zaragoza 12 km southwest, about 12 min by car
- La Aurora 14 km south, about 14 min by car
- Adolfo Ruiz Cortínes 14 km south, about 14 min by car
- Estrella de Belén 14 km south, about 14 min by car
- Nuevo Sonora 14 km southeast, about 14 min by car
- Chivaltic Nuevo 15 km southwest, about 15 min by car
Drive times are estimates from straight-line distance, not routes.
Local news
Headlines from INDB.
Reviews, tips and questions
Loading what members have shared...
Sources and licences
- GeoNames (CC BY 4.0): population, coordinates, regions and time zone
- OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL 1.0): places, airports, map data
- Wikidata (CC0 1.0): elevation, founding date, time zone, website
- Wikimedia Commons (see each image): photos
- Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0): overview and history text
Photo credits
- PalenqueLetters2020p2, Carlos Valenzuela, CC BY-SA 4.0
- PalenquePlaza2, AlejandroLinaresGarcia, CC BY-SA 4.0
- BenitoJuarezStreetPalenque, AlejandroLinaresGarcia, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Palenque Letters 2021, Carlos Valenzuela, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street Life - El Fogón Norteño, Palenque, Chiapas, Bernard DUPONT, CC BY-SA 2.0
- CentralNortePalenque, AlejandroLinaresGarcia, CC BY-SA 4.0
- PlazaPalenque3, AlejandroLinaresGarcia, CC BY-SA 4.0
- ScenePalenquePlaza, AlejandroLinaresGarcia, CC BY-SA 4.0
- PalacioMunicipalPalenque, AlejandroLinaresGarcia, CC BY-SA 4.0
- MayaDecorationHotelPalenque, AlejandroLinaresGarcia, CC BY-SA 4.0
- FacadeParishPalenque, AlejandroLinaresGarcia, CC BY-SA 4.0
- AtriumPalenque, AlejandroLinaresGarcia, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Woman Covers Her Face in Street - Palenque - Chiapas - Mexico (15056988264), Adam Jones from Kelowna, BC, Canada, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Barmaid - El Fogón Norteño, Palenque, Chiapas, Bernard DUPONT, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Palenque Street, https://www.flickr.com/photos/carlosvanvegas/, CC BY 2.0
- PalenqueJungle2020, Carlos Valenzuela, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Calle de Palenque - panoramio, jc_castaneda, CC BY-SA 3.0
- MayanFigureBestWesternPalenque, AlejandroLinaresGarcia, CC BY-SA 4.0
- PalenqueLetters2020p1, Carlos Valenzuela, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Mission Palenque - panoramio, runt35, CC BY 3.0
- Palace, Palenque (3675943066), Cornell University Library, No restrictions
- Stone Carving from Steps to the Right of Temple XII, Palenque (3675121457), Cornell University Library, No restrictions
- Temple of the Sun, Palenque (3675124399), Cornell University Library, No restrictions
- Palace, Palenque (3675927326), Cornell University Library, No restrictions
- Mayan Relief Carving from the Second Temple of the Cross Group at Palenque (3675129171), Cornell University Library, No restrictions
- Temple of Inscriptions (Interior), Palenque (3675945466), Cornell University Library, No restrictions
- Chiapas Palenque 2, Liss 4567, CC BY-SA 4.0
- HayfieldPalenqueChiapas, AlejandroLinaresGarcia, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Michelada with Worcestershiresauce, https://www.flickr.com/photos/ilf_/, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Mujer Ch'ol - panoramio, panza.rayada, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Parides sesostris zestos (Papilionidae) (25532758271), yakovlev.alexey from Moscow, Russia, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Cosmosoma sp. (Erebidae- Arctiinae- Arctiini- Euchromiina) (25329063880), yakovlev.alexey from Moscow, Russia, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Cupido comyntas (Lycaenidae) (25532758541), yakovlev.alexey from Moscow, Russia, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Basiliscus vittatus 183400270, Manuel de Jesús Hernández Ancheita, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Centruroides gracilis 60799975, Manuel de Jesús Hernández Ancheita, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Centruroides gracilis 60799958, Manuel de Jesús Hernández Ancheita, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Basiliscus vittatus 183264088, Manuel de Jesús Hernández Ancheita, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Palenque, Pueblo Magico - Chiapas 2020, Bernard DUPONT, CC BY-SA 2.0
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