Temple of the Cross Complex

The temple was constructed to commemorate the rise of Chan Bahlum II to the throne after the death of Pacal the Great.

One purpose of the temple was to house the panels that recorded Kan-Bahlum's ancestral history, his accession and the divine origin of his lineage.

The attacks may have inspired the building tradition initiated by Pacal and continued by his son, K'inich Kan Bahlam, and grandson, Akul Mo' Naab.

In 1567 Father Pedro Lorenzo de la Nada was the first European to study and publish a description of the ruins which he named Palenque.

Father Pedro Lorenze de la Nada was exploring near the Usumacinta River where he stumbled upon its stone temples and plazas.

More funding for maintenance came after Mexican archaeologist Alberto Ruz Lhuillier in 1952 discovered the burial tomb of Pacal the Great in the Temple of Inscriptions.

Yehmal K'uk' Lakam Witz was considered a sacred mountain by the Maya because of the many natural springs that supply fresh water to Otulum River.

According to accounts from the 16th century, the stone temples were covered in stucco and decorated with blue and red paint.

[1] Bas-relief carvings in the Temple of the Cross describe the accession of K'inich Kan Balam to the throne of Palenque.

These paths to the Otherworld were crucial for the reigning king, since he must take them in order to bring back gifts of life and prosperity to his people.