Pakal builds Palenque palace with innovative double vault architecture. In 647 CE, Pakal built the Olvidado temple, the first double chamber building in the Maya world with unique corbel arch engineering The Olvidado is located 1 km west of the city center in the Tokan area Starting in 654 CE, Pakal renovated the palace by capping the existing one-story structure and adding a second story with five buildings (A, B, C, D, E)
Pakal was an architectural revolutionary. In 647 CE, he began his first construction project at age 44, initiating the transformation of Palenque into a glorious center of power. He constructed buildings including Building E, called Sak Nuk Naah "White Skin House," as part of an ambitious architectural expansion that included multi-level structures with symbolic underworld associations. His architectural program was continued by successors after his death in 683 CE at approximately 80 years of age.
Key Facts
- In 647 CE, Pakal built the Olvidado temple, the first double chamber building in the Maya world with unique corbel arch engineering
- The Olvidado is located 1 km west of the city center in the Tokan area
- Starting in 654 CE, Pakal renovated the palace by capping the existing one-story structure and adding a second story with five buildings (A, B, C, D, E)
- He developed a revolutionary cement and stucco stronger than anything else in the Maya world
- The lower level was transformed into a symbolic underworld
- House C's courtyard displays images of captives and subservient lords
- All buildings constructed by Pakal and his son K'inich K'uk' Bahlam still stand today, while most other structures are rubble
Related site: Palenque — view location, images, and history on the Ancient Nerds map.
Source: Pakal: The Most Famous Maya Ruler Ever by Archaeologist Ed Barnhart