Palenque

Palenque: Situated at the eastern edge of the Rio Usumacinta Basin in the foothills of the Sierra Oriental de Chiapas at an elevation of slightly less that 3000 m, Palenque looks out on a low coastal plain extending to the Gulf of Mexico about 130 km. to the north.
The climate is warm (median temperature 26 C) and humid (average annual precipitation 2156 mm) with little seasonal variation and showers during the entire year.
Surrounded by dense forests dominated by mahogany, cedar and sapodilla trees, frequently shrouded in fog, the ruins are among the most aesthetically impressive in Mesoamerica.
Palenque represents the western regional variant of Classic Maya civilization. Although the earliest occupation of the site dates to about 100 BC, it becomes a major population center only at about 600 AD and all construction at the site has ceased by about 800 AD. The ruins now visible are the heavily restored remains of the ceremonial center of a more extensive settlement bordered by agricultural fields.
The ceremonial center may be divided into three major areas:
1) an open area bounded by the Pyramid of the Inscriptions the west facade of the  Palace and the unexcavated mound Temple XI;
2) separated from area 1) by the, canalized and partly vaulted, Arroyo Otulum and at a significantly higher elevation an area bounded by the Temple of the Sun, the  Temple of th Cross and the  Temple of the Foliated Cross;
3) an area somewhat lower in elevation than area 1, including the Ball Court and the Temple of the Count, bounded by the north facade of thePalace, Temple X, and the North Group.
Information obtained from inscriptions on the structures relates their construction to the rulers of Palenque.