The Palenque Mapping Project, 1998 Field Season Report

Discussion

The following sections are intended as discussions of selected features of interest encountered during the 1998 survey. The discussions are divided by group and coordinate with Maps 2-9.

The Cross Group (Map 2)

The Cross Group is currently under investigation by the Proyecto Grupo de Las Cruces (PGC), Principle Investigator Alfonso Morales and Co-Project Directors Christopher Powell and Merle Green Robertson. The survey of the Cross Group was overseen by Richard Bidstrup, chief topographer for the PGC in 1997 and 1998. Measured drawings of each exposed structure were made for the PGC by Studio Mexico, lead by Logan Wagner of the University of Texas at Austin. Those drawings, with additions by Ed Barnhart to identify buried architecture, were incorporated into the new site map. The small structures named Monticulo 1 and 2 were uncovered by the PGC in August of 1998 and added to the current map. The PGC excavations continue in 1999 and the PMP will update the map with architecture as it is revealed.

Central Palenque (Map 3)

The central precinct of Palenque is the most extensively studied portion of the site. As early as 1891, H.W. Price had made architectural drawings and a beautiful topography map of the center (Maudslay 1889-1902). Subsequent maps of the center, most of lesser quality, were published by Noguera (1926), Escalona (1933), Fernandez (1936), and Berlin (1940). The most updated map available is published in the Sculpture of Palenque, Volume 1 (Robertson 1983).

In the late 1980’s and 1990’s Palenque Site Director Arnoldo Gonzalez Cruz conducted multiple consolidation projects in the center, including the east side of the Palace, Temples XII and XIII, Temple X, the Ballcourt, and the Ignorado. Each of these recently restored architectural features were measured, drawn, and incorporated into the current map. The North Group was measured and drawn by Architect David Trautman. A report on his work and a discussion of the North Group’s construction sequence appears in Appendix A.

In addition to the well known monumental architecture, three groups of smaller structures were identified as directly associated with the center; the Camp Group, the Temple of the Inscriptions Group and the small buildings around the North Group.

The Camp Group is thus named because it occupies the same area with the modern INAH archaeological camp. H.W. Price’s 1891 map shows a security guard structure in the same location. Later, in the 1950’s, the site museum was built there. In the 1970’s the museum was converted into archaeological team quarters, lab spaces, and storage facilities and has remained that ever since. The group within which the camp sits consists of eight small structures arranged around an irregularly shaped courtyard. The Camp Group’s north end is bounded by the edge of the Casteneda Escarpment. On its east side flows the Otulum, falling off the same escarpment into cascades and the Queen’s Bath. A bridge in the Camp Group allows the tourist trail to cross the Otulum, providing access down to the Murcielagos Group and the modern museum. Though the top of this bridge is reinforced concrete, its architecture underneath is a corbelled arch tunnel built in the Maya Classic Period. Known since at least H.W. Price’s 1891 map, it stands as a rare example of a still functioning Classic Maya bridge.

The Temple of Inscriptions Group is located directly east of the temple itself, at the head of the trail leading up to the Temple of the Jaguar. Four of the group’s five structures are arranged interconnected on a small plateau six meters above the plaza’s elevation. The fifth structure, built into the plateau at plaza level, has been partial consolidated but never given a formal designation. This current map identifies it as structure TI5.

The North Group has been historically defined as the five temples standing upon one platform designated collectively as Temple VIII. In addition to these temples, there are seven other structures of lesser size associated with the group, now designated NG1-7.  NG1, located at the southeast corner of the North Group platform, is consolidated and has a south facing staircase. A series of two meter tall range structures extend from the North Group’s west side for 110 meters. These structures, designated NG2, 3, and 4, bound the north edge of two open plazas, one wrapping around the Temple of the Count, the other extending south to Temple XI. Structures NG6 and 7 are low-lying platforms, less than ½ meter in height, located upon a terrace linking the North Group to the western edge of Group A.

South Central Palenque (Map 4)

South Central Palenque includes the Temple of the Jaguar and the areas designated the Blue Wood Group and the Schele Terraces. The foot trail leading to the village of Naranjo cuts between the group as it winds up the mountain side.

At the northern end of the Blue Wood Group, Temple XXIV stands 12 meters in height. Descriptively named "Inscriptions Prospect", Temple XXIV looks down over the Temple of the Inscriptions. Extending from its north side are four large terraces which stair-step down the steep hillside to the back of Temple XII. Today, when one stands in front of the Temple of Inscriptions they see the temple’s roof comb with wooded hillside towering above. Temple XXIV and its northern terraces, now covered, would have made the entire hillside appear as one massive temple, dwarfing the Temple of Inscriptions below.

The rest of the Blue Wood Group snakes back to the south following the shape of the flat ridge top and arranged around two main structures, Temples XXV and XXVI.  Temple XXVI is in an excellent state of preservation. A measured drawing of its exposed architecture was made and incorporated into the map. A similar drawing made by Blom demonstrates the building was in the same condition at least as early as 1923. On the northeast corner of Temple XXVI’s frontal patio lies Stela 3. Broken, fallen, and uncarved, it was easily over looked by earlier projects. Though fragmented and eroded, its dimensions can be estimated at 2.5m high, 70cm wide, and 40cm thick. Directly south of Temple XXVI, on the hillside above, lies the first limestone quarry identified at Palenque. An outcrop of limestone, approximately 30m in length, has partially carved blocks strewn in front of it. It stands to reason that the Blue Wood Group was connected in some way to the exploitation of this nearby resource.

The Schele Terraces, named after the late Linda Schele, are a monumental set of terraces never before recorded. Temple XXIII has always been depicted as a single structure (Maudslay 1889-1902, Robertson 1983). We now know that XXIII is in fact one part of a complex of stepped terraces reaching up from the Otulum far below. A deep arroyo feeding down into the Otulum divides the Schele Terraces into two sections, the eastern section being the more massive. The western section has 11 levels and reaches a total vertical height of 35 meters. The eastern section has 6 terraces leading up to Temple XXIII.  Temple XXIII has been known for some time due to its great extent of exposed architecture. The structure has a central room with a long colonnade extending to the east containing the entrances to five looted tomb shafts. Blom’s 1923 drawing depicts Temple XXIII in the same condition it stands in today. A reconstruction sketch of what XXIII might have looked like in the Classic Period appears in Figure 1.

Structures XXIIIa, b, and c were located to the east and south of Temple XXIII.  XXIIIa has a three sections of exposed architecture revealing two rooms and a stair case leading down. XXIIIb and c are interconnected and built into the mountain side. At a frontal height of 10 meters, XXIIIc was a surprising structure to have been overlooked by previous surveys.

Encantado Group (Map 5)

The Encantado Group is arranged around the base of a 50 meter tall hill. There are 85 structures in the Encantado group, most of which are completely buried. Two structures, EC27 and EC41, were excavated by Acosta in the 1970’s (unpublished) and as a result have significant areas of exposed architecture. Acosta also excavated a trench into the north face of the Encantado Temple (EC40) exposing the wall of an interior building phase.

Stretching out in front of the Encantado Group are three wide plazas, each relatively devoid of structures. The western of the three plazas contains only one structure, EC80. In seeming opposition to the 19 degrees E of N orientation common to many of the structures in the central precinct, EC80 has an orientation of 19 degrees W of N. Stela 4 was found 40 meters west of EC80, fallen and uncarved. It is 3m in length, 1m wide, and 50cm thick.

The western Encantado Group plaza also contains a small creek originating underneath the northwest corner of structure EC79. The creek runs north to the edge of the plaza where it drains underneath a terrace wall and then resurfaces, continuing north to join another creek. While no surface evidence indicates the creek is man made, its path across the plaza suggests there may be a defunct drainage system underneath the surface.

Encantado South (Map 8)

The structures of the Encantado South were recorded for the first time in 1998. They are a complex of terraces and structures built into a steep hillside and facing out towards the Motiepa. All structures in the group are completely buried except structure ES12 which has exposed sections of a platform and superstructure.

Group A (Map 6)

Group A extends north along the west side of the Otulum from the base of the Casteneda Escarpment down to the modern paved road. Previous maps of Group A have focused in on the area called Group I and II, a group of 11 consolidated structures, designated here as A1-3, A5, and A11-17. The PMP recorded 51 structures in Group A, the majority of which were built into the slope of the hillside. At this juncture in the PMP survey, they appear to form the primary ancient access way from the flat plains to the north up into Palenque’s central precinct.

The location in which Group A was built provides insight into Classic Period Palenque land use strategies. In the group’s northwest section is a wide, flat area of land. Though flat land is clearly easier to build on then slopes, the flat area is completely devoid of Maya structures. Today the area is called "Los Mangos" due to the mango grove planted there and contains only a single modern cement platform. Local informants say the structure was once the home of a German rancher who lived in Palenque during the 1960’s. It seems likely that Palenque left Los Mangos clear for agricultural purposes, choosing to build instead on the slope above.

Group E (Map 7)

Group E is arranged loosely along the east side of the Motiepa, north of the Encantado Temple. The group’s largest architecture is located on its north end where large platforms are built out of the hillside and follow the contour of the land where it takes a natural step down. Structures E19 and E20 are the only structures in the area retaining exposed architecture. Structure E20 is in especially good condition with multiple plastered standing columns.

Group H (Map 8)

Perched atop the hill above the Encantado Group, Group H is linked with the Blue Wood group on the hilltop just to the east. Both groups have large temples constructed on their northern edges, over looking the central precinct and the plains below. The view must have been breath taking when the area was mostly cleared. Structure H1, Group H’s main temple, is roughly the same size as its counterpart, Temple XXIV. The structure in the best state of preservation is H3. Due to a tree fall in its east side, three rooms can be detected in H3’s floor plan. The north room (3x4m) retains its roof and can be entered through a collapsed outer wall.

The flat land in south end of Group H is littered with large limestone chunks, most with evidence of shaping. They appear to be large architectural blocks or monuments in progress. The quarry behind Temple XXVI is less than 50 meters away and is probably the stones’ point of origin.

Group J (Map 9)

Group J is more commonly known as Group IV.  Group IV, however, is defined in past literature as the courtyard group identified here as structures J1-J8. Group J includes Group IV but extends to include the dense area of structures now recorded to its immediate east. Structures J1, J6, and J7 were partial consolidated by INAH in the 1980-90’s. Most of Group J’s 67 structures are completely buried. J28, J59, and J61 are the only structures in the area that have significant portions of architecture exposed. Group J’s most interesting feature is its canal system. There are four separate canals, all of which join up on Group J’s north side to fall off the Tak’in Ha Cascades. Each canal has sections of standing walls and begins at the base of a terrace, apparently at the mouth of an underground spring. While the heads of the canals were not producing water during the dry season, each canal contains multiple sections where spring water was welling up and flowing. The surface evidence suggests that Group J began as an area of land riddled with bubbling springs and that the canals were built as a way to confine their flow and open land for architecture.

Galindo and Tak’in Ha Group (Map 9)

First identified in Robertson’s map (1983), the Galindo Group is separated from Group J by the tall hill topped by structures J58-J62. It consists of a large platform built extending off the northwest corner of Palenque’s central precinct. The platform mounds are small and completely buried. On the Galindo Group’s north side the hill drop fifteen meters to the Tak’in Ha group, a tiny group of structures straddling the Tak’in Ha Cascades.

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