Shinil Pa: Palenque's hidden residential terraces with Maya plumbing. The Shinil Pa group consists of eight residential terraces built into a mountainside between the Motia and Piedras Bolus rivers, spanning 42 meters from top to bottom. The terraces collectively contain 78 structures and 15 small courtyards, still with intact terrace walls after approximately 1,000 rainy seasons. The arrangement around small courtyards indicates a wealthy residential area.
The Shinil Pa group at Palenque features 8 terraces built into a mountainside between the Motia and Piedras Bolus rivers, containing 78 structures and 15 small courtyards. A gravity-fed drainage system piped water to residences, hinting at noble-funded or luxury public housing. After roughly 1,000 rainy seasons, the terrace walls still stand — though no professional excavation has occurred, only occasional looting.
Key Facts
- The Shinil Pa group consists of eight residential terraces built into a mountainside between the Motia and Piedras Bolus rivers, spanning 42 meters from top to bottom.
- The terraces collectively contain 78 structures and 15 small courtyards, still with intact terrace walls after approximately 1,000 rainy seasons.
- The arrangement around small courtyards indicates a wealthy residential area.
- A drainage system of gravity-powered pipes connected the two rivers, crisscrossing house clusters and providing running water/plumbing to residences.
- The scale of infrastructure suggests either private funding by nobles or city-funded luxury public housing.
- No professional excavation has been conducted at the site, only occasional looting.
Related site: Palenque — view location, images, and history on the Ancient Nerds map.
Source: Palenque: Discoveries You Haven't Seen Before by Archaeologist Ed Barnhart