Palenque

Visitors to the jungle-shrouded ancient city of Palenque are sure to feel just as the Spanish conquistadores felt when they first stumbled upon this hidden Mayan world of stacked temples and shrines in the depths of the Chiapas forests. Dating back more than 1,200 years, the area houses Mexico's most striking historical remnants, famed for their ambitious sculpture art and bas reliefs.

The whole site of Palenque is spread over 15 square kilometers. It's topped by a multi-storey palace complex that once housed the nobles of the Mayan upper class. Around that, the rudimentary channels of ancient aqueducts babble through the woods, passing a whole medley of stone-carved shrines and temples, where murals depict the haunting God of Death, human skulls and royal figures seated in their thrones.

Most Palenque tour guides will showcase two structures that really dominate – the Temple of the Inscriptions and the Temples of the Cross. These are the biggest and most jaw-dropping of the whole city. The first is adorned with hieroglyphic staircases that lead to the funerary chamber and tomb of the great Mayan king Hanab-Pakal. The second are terraced pyramid shrines topped with carved effigies of the mystical Tree of Life.