Palenque is nestled in the lower foothills of the Sierra Madre of Chiapas, which fringe the coastal plain of the Gulf of Mexico, amidst a high tropical forest abounding in surface water. It began as a farming hamlet, perhaps some time around 100 BC, that is, during the so-called Formative Period [2500 BC - 300 AD].

Over the Early Classic Period [300 - 600 AD] the village grew, and in the Late Classic [600 - 900 AD] became the city which ruled much of what is now the states of Chiapas and Tabasco. At that time, Palenque's development peaked, as evidence in the complexity of its architecture, ceramics, and particularly its inscriptions.

The interpretation of Palenque's inscriptions and other archaeological information has provided us with the names of its rulers and other leading figures. Moreover, even birthdays, marriages, and the start and finish of armed conquests can be dated; and Palenque's alliances have been pinpointed and its rituals and the accuracy of its calendar definitely established.