Overview
Mysterious ancient ruins, hidden deep in the jungle of southern Mexico… In May 1840, explorers John Stephens and Frederick Catherwood road their mules along a steep, muddy jungle path. They were hoping to find the ruins of an ancient, deserted site in Mexico they knew only from visitors' accounts. Through the trees, they spied the remains of a crumbling stone palace. Palenque! In the weeks they spent there, the men discovered intricately designed buildings and mysterious glyphs, or symbols. Who built this city? What did the glyphs mean? The questions remained largely unanswered until the 1950s, when Mexican archaeologist Alberto Ruz Lhuillier began his work at Palenque. By this time, he knew the ruins were those of the ancient Maya, who lived across Mexico and Central America more than one thousand years ago. After exhaustive work, Ruz and his crew made an amazing discovery—a tomb buried deep inside a pyramid. Through intensive study of Mayan glyphs, they learned the tomb was that of the great Mayan king Pakal, who died in 683 A.D. Since then, archaeologists have discovered much more about Mayan pyramids, writing, and architecture. Read this intriguing volume to learn about Palenque and about the mysteries that still remain.Synopsis
Mysterious ancient ruins, hidden deep in the jungle of southern Mexico In May 1840, explorers John Stephens and Frederick Catherwood road their mules along a steep, muddy jungle path. They were hoping to find the ruins of an ancient, deserted site in Mexico they knew only from visitors' accounts. Through the trees, they spied the remains of a crumbling stone palace. Palenque! In the weeks they spent there, the men discovered intricately designed buildings and mysterious glyphs, or symbols. Who built this city? What did the glyphs mean? The questions remained largely unanswered until the 1950s, when Mexican archaeologist Alberto Ruz Lhuillier began his work at Palenque. By this time, he knew the ruins were those of the ancient Maya, who lived across Mexico and Central America more than one thousand years ago. After exhaustive work, Ruz and his crew made an amazing discovery—a tomb buried deep inside a pyramid. Through intensive study of Mayan glyphs, they learned the tomb was that of the great Mayan king Pakal, who died in 683 A.D. Since then, archaeologists have discovered much more about Mayan pyramids, writing, and architecture. Read this intriguing volume to learn about Palenque and about the mysteries that still remain.
Children's Literature
A title in the "Unearthing Ancient Worlds" series, this covers the ancient Mayan civilization in Palenque in southern Mexico. An active city over 1500 years ago, Palenque is filled with buildings, art, and writing. The discovery and exploration of Palenque by John Stephens and Frederick Catherwood in 1840 introduced this ancient civilization to the modern world. Buildings, pyramids, sculptures, and tablets with hieroglyphics of the ancient Maya are abundant in the city. Kops includes drawings and renderings by Catherwood, as well as pictures of the city and its artifacts. In 1949-1952, Alberto Ruz Lhuillier, a Mexican archaeologist, explored Palenque only to find even more amazing artifacts, such as a sarcophagus buried deep within one of the pyramids of Palenque. Included at the end of the book is a time line; a pronunciation guide and glossary; biographies of the three explorers Catherwood, Ruz, and Stephens; source notes; a selected bibliography; books for further reading; and websites. Kops' writing is very readable and detailed but easy to follow, encouraging readers to continue their reading and research of these ancient ruins. Reviewer: Naomi Williamson