Palenque
Convention Venues
Meeting Venue Capacity
Chiapas, Authentic by Nature
Name of Hotel or
Other Venue
Location
Auditorio Ganadero
Multipurpose Room
Palenque is located 563 miles southeast
of México City
Calinda Quality Nututún
Palenque Hotel
Plaza Palenque Hotel
Maya tulipanes Hotel
Chan-Kan Village Hotel
Tulija Casa Inn Hotel
Ciudad Real Palenque
Hotel
D’Marco Hotel
Misión Palenque Hotel
Air Transportation
Palenque has a small airport, able to
receive chartered flights. The nearest
airports with regular flights are: the
Villahermosa International Airport and
the Corazón de Maria Airport in San Cristóbal de las Casas.
Total
Total (sq.ft.)
1
1
13,455
10,764
1
2,691
3
3
3
4
4,219
3,111
3,617
5,683
2
6,458
1
2
689
4,392
21
55,079
Note: Only hotels with meeting facilities are listed
Climate
The climate is tropical and humid with rains throughout the
year.
Hotels
There are 28 tourist quality hotels of which 9 are classified as
four star or higher.
Population
Category
Palenque has 85,464 inhabitants
Economic Activities
The major economic activity is tourism followed by livestock
and the production of honey.
Nº of Meeting Rooms
1
2
No of Hotels
No of Rooms
5 Star
1
156
4 Star
8
536
Total
9
692
Palenque has 1,939 tourist quality hotel rooms of which 692 are classified
as four star or higher.
Special Venues for Events
beautiful landscapes of the country.
Palenque was founded in 1567 by Fray Pedro Lorenzo de la Nada,
who joined several “choles” families dispersed through the
Lacandón Forest. The natives named the town Otolum (in chol
“closed places”). The archeological site was discovered in 1790
by the priest Antonio Solís. Since then, Palenque is considered
the most important Ceremonial Center of the Mayan Culture.
• Lienzo Charro (Rodeo grounds)
Tourism
Main Tourist Attractions of the City
• Palenque Archaeological Zone, declared a World Heritage Site
by UNESCO
• Site museum
Palenque
The city of Palenque is the economic center of the north of the
state. It has hotels, restaurants, bars and camping areas and
serves as base to visit the many diverse tourist attractions to be
found in the area.
Main Tourist Attractions in the Surrounding Area
• Archeological Zone of Yaxchilan
• Archeological Zone of Bonampak
• Archeological Zone of Toniná
• “Lacandón” Village of Lacania-Chansayab
• Camping and descent down the river at Lacania
• Chen Ulich Cascade and Ecological Center
• Misol-Ha Waterfall
• Agua Azul Waterfall
• City of Villahermosa
Palenque Archeological Zone
Surrounded by forest and mysticism, this archeological site, one of the
principal and most visited, enigmatic places in the country, is known
for being a Mayan site governed by powerful leaders during the IV
and VII centuries of our era, today considered as one of the world’s
Cultural Heritage Sites and outstanding for its imposing architecture, an
example of which is the Inscription Temple (Templo de las Inscripciones)
where the funerary chamber of one of the most important Mayan
leaders Pakal was discovered.
Explained Tourist Zones
One only needs to walk into forest, to feel the magic world of
the Mayan culture, and to understand more about their myths,
rituals, beliefs and architecture. The most important Mayan
Archeological Cities are found in this region and two of their
Site Museums are of great importance in the country.
In the region round the basin of the river Usumacinta, at the
northeast of the state, it is located the Palenque Municipality.
From here it is possible to go into the Lacandon Forest, which
shelter monumental Mayan Cities and some of the most
The Palace is the biggest and most complex architectural building in
Palenque. Its most remarkable element is the four-sided tower, perhaps
the only one of the Mayan Classic Period. Other important buildings
in the site are the Reina Roja ( Red Queen), La Cruz (The Cross), Cruz
foliada (foliated cross) and the Sun Temples.
The site is open from Monday to Sunday from 9.00 a.m. to 5.00 p.m.
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Bonampak
Palenque’s Site Museum
Located deep in the heart of the Lacandon Forest, the Mayans
built this Ceremonial Center, open today to the visitor as an
encyclopedia which describes the social, politic and religious life of
the richest cultural inheritance of Latin America.
The Palenque Site Museum, located inside this National Park,
is a declared World Heritage Monument. Its rooms allow us to
understand the different stages of development the Mayans of
this location reached, as well as showing the different discoveries
resulting from the studies and investigations made a long
history. During this visit you should not miss the opportunity to
observe the largest clay insence burner Collection.
The murals of Bonampark have a preponderantly dignified position
in universal artistic iconography, due to their perfect integration of
theme, technique, elaboration and natural color.
Toniná
“La Casa de Piedra” (The Stone House) as it was called by our
ancestors, is one of the archeological structures of great historical
value, since we can discover through its stucco relieves and its stone
sculptures, the general concepts of the Mayans’ Divine and Historical
Calendar and, in general, of ancient México. The site is made up of
seven platforms, where a multitude of temples and palaces, gems of
the Mayan culture, were built.
The site is open from Monday to Sunday from 9.00 a.m. to 5.00 p.m
Yaxchilán
Toniná’s Site Museum
Waterfalls Misol-Há
Built in a privileged place, embraced by the fancy of the sacred
river Usumacinta and sheltered by the Lacandon Forest, Ya chilán
is one of the most beautiful and powerful cities of the Mayan
culture. It reached its maximum splendor between the years 250
and 900 of our era. It is essential to discover in this ancestral site,
the secrets captured in stone which narrate the history of one of
the most dominant military dynasties of the region.
It is formed as the Tzaconejá River drops over calcareous rocks
72 ft. high. As it falls, the water forms a large pool in which it is
possible to swim, with caution. The site works as a Community
Ecotouristic Center and has huts, restaurants, handicraft shops,
parking and touristic promenade.
Showing a collection of archeological pieces in situ, is, no doubt, the
basic function of Site Museums, and an example of this we can find
in the Site Museum of Toniná. This museum was arranged following
the Mayan myth of the origin of the existential levels of human life, in
the entrance there is a fountain with the shape of a stepped ornament
which symbolizes the duality. The room explains the reason of the
structural form of the Toniná pyramid and its relationship to the Gods
of Time. The main room shows 13 sculptures of the governors of the
different dynasties, and together this symbolizes the rising military and
economic power of this Ceremonial Site.
The site is open from Tuesday to Sunday from 9.00 a.m. to 5.00 p.m.
Waterfalls “Agua Azul”
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In the heart of the jungle, we can find one of the most
significant natural wonders of México: The Agua Azul (Blue
Water) Waterfalls are a natural phenomenon that will astonish
any visitor who admires them for the first time. This waterfall
is formed by a tributary of the Tulijá River, which forms on its
way a series of natural pools, with different falls, that create a
Useful Information
turquoise blue color in the water and together with the green
of the forest, are the pride of all the Chiapanecs.
Government Offices and Support Services
Montes Azules (Blue Mountains) Reserve Biosphere
Chiapas Tourism Bureau
Tel. (916) 345-0178
www.turismo.chiapas.gob.mx
[email protected]
On the other hand, the Integral Reserve of the Biosphere
Montes Azules (Blue Mountains), located between the border
and The Chiapan Jungle, is classified as high tropical rainforest,
one of the richest and most complex plant ecosystems of the
word. Here reside, the Lacanjá community, which gives a great
historical and cultural value to the zone, since they are believed
to be descendents of the old Mayas (Lacandons).
An apt place to appreciate Nature in all its splendor and watch
the Red Macaw display and breed in the Guacamaya, Ecotourism
Center, located on the edge of The Blue Mountain Reserve.
Hotel and Motel Association in Chiaas
Tel. (916)345-0079
Bus Terminal / Tel (916) 345-1344
Airport / Tel (916)345-1581
“Las Nubes” (The Clouds)
The goodness of nature was established in Chiapas, and the most
obvious example is found in “Las Nubes” (the Clouds) which is a
natural marvel of unequalled beauty which surprises all visitors.
Miramar Lagoon
The Miramar lagoon is a huge body of water, 25 miles in length,
and is therefore, the largest lagoon in the Lacandon Jungle. In some
parts, its sides are abrupt and mountainous, and in other parts there
are white beaches. The color of its waters varies from indigo blue to
emerald green.
In old days, there were human settlements on its banks, isles and
adjacent caves, of which some remains, can still be appreciated. It is
situated at the northeast of the state, in the valley of Saint Quintin,
within the “Montes Azules” Reserve.
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