Name and Etymology
The site of Palenque had been abandoned by the Maya people for several centuries when the Spanish explorers arrived in Chiapas in the 16th century. The first European to visit the ruins and publish an account was the priest Pedro Lorenzo de la Nada in 1567; at the time the local Chol Maya called it Otolum meaning "Land with strong houses", and de la Nada roughly translated this to give the site the name "Palenque" (from the Catalan word "palenc", "palisade") which means "fortification" in Spanish (among other things). Palenque also became the name for the town Santo Domingo de Palenque which was built over some peripheral ruins down in the valley from the main ceremonial center of the ancient city.
An ancient name for the central core of the city currently consolidated was Lakam Ha, which translates as "Big Water", for the numerous springs and wide cascades that are found within the site. Palenque was the capital of the important Classic period Maya city-state of B'aakal or B'aak (Bone), after one of the city's most frequently occurring Emblem Glyphs.
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