| | The Temple of Inscriptions located atop a lofty pyramid on the southern periphery of the central plaza of Palenque, in the lush forests of the Mexican Chiapas highlands, held an extraordinary secret for centuries.
The Temple got its name from the three stucco panels with hieroglyphic inscriptions that were found on the walls of the Temple. |
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In 1948, Alberto Ruz investigated four curious stone plugs in the floor of the temple and discovered a secret passage filled with rubble. After removing the rubble a hidden stairway was visible. This winding tunnel led to a crypt through the interior of the pyramid. Behind a triangular slab door, Ruz made a startling discovery of a wonderful stone chamber that enclosed an elaborately carved sarcophagus and the remains of a royal aristocrat along with a massive amount of jade gems and other relics.
The epigraphers deciphered the glyphs on the sarcophagus and the inscriptions and identified the remains of the royal personality as Hanab Pacal.
It was Pacal who built this great Inscrpiptions temple. The temple rises 75 feet high and the roofcomb added an additional 40 feet thus dominating the skyline.
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The base of the inscriptions temple has eight stepped terraces with a narrow flight of steps that descends through a series of corbeled vault arches from the temple at the top of the pyramid to the grandiose tomb two meters below the plaza floor upon which the temple was built. The front of the temple is composed of five doorways separated by 5 piers. Each bas-relief carving on the piers depicts an adult presenting the young heir, who is shown with both human characteristics and divine attributes - such as the snake-like limbs instead of one leg and foot.
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Inside the temple, two large vaulted chambers house three glyphic sheets which are the second longest known inscription by the ancient Maya.
From the tower, on the day of the winter solstice, an observer will see the sun set directly over the Temple of the Inscriptions.
Allwondersoftheworld.com describes mysterious Temple of Inscriptions in the ruined city of Palenque.
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