Most construction is substantially completed at Palenque…

Most construction is substantially completed at Palenque by 760.

The city is on the western frontier of the Maya region, where the long plain to the Gulf of Mexico first meets the hills that give way to the mountains of Chiapas.

Notable buildings include the Palace, which features a unique three-story tower; the Cross Group Temples, which feature interior shrines and interlocking corbel vaults; and the Temple of Inscriptions, built by Pacal, or Shield, who died in 683, to house his own tomb.

Carved stone decorates these buildings, as do stucco relief panels bearing lengthy inscriptions about both historical deeds and divine relationships, many displaying sophisticated calendrics and evident skywatching.