EchoDitto

He was Trump, Medici, Frank Lloyd Wright and the Dalai Lama of his time: King Pacal the Great of Palenque. He died at age 80 in 683 AD, and was buried by his son Chan Balam, a brilliant mathematician and astronomer.

Pacal had already built a stunning tomb for himself, full of cosmology, astronomy, genealogy - not to mention a spectacular jade mask and other jewels. It remained hidden from archaeologists until 1952, and then became the basis for Von Daniken's "ancient astronaut" theories in 1968. Just in time to be debunked by the young art historians and iconographers who kicked over the old beliefs and broke the Maya code. Pacal's name, rendered in syllables - pa ca la - provided one of the clues to the phonetic nature of the glyphs.

Palenque, Pacal, the Temple of the Inscriptions. A complex of history and meaning that has unusual resonance in the world of Maya studies. Ground zero for an explosion of understanding in the last 30 years.

But when Nicco and I descended into the tomb, we could barely see the famous carved sarcophagus cover. The single bare bulb that the archaeological authorities grudgingly provide to tourists had slipped below the level of the lid, leaving it in shadow. Nicco got a good flash shot, but I've pulled out some photos and video from my archives to help folks appreciate this work of art. They were taken on a day in 2001 when I went beyond the metal gate, into the crypt, with a National Geographic photographer. We stayed in the tomb all day, and when the guards got bored and left, took our shoes off to stand in our socks on the carved limestone slab, to get the shots of a lifetime.

Photos of Pacal's tomb, inside and out

And a short video of the temple, the descent into the tomb, and the view of the Palace when you emerge. (42 seconds, 9 MB download)