Palenque is a series of jaw-dropping, jungle-swathed Mayan ruins, in a forest filled with howling monkeys and beautiful wildlife. The mighty Maya temples of Palenque, which date from 800 A.D., are deservedly one of the top destinations in Mexico and one of the best examples of Maya architecture.

While here, I would tour: 

• Templo de las Inscripciones Group, a site that contains several Maya temples, including several tombs of important Mayan kings and queens. See the Tumba de la Reina Roja, the Tomb of the Red Queen, including a sarcophagus unearthed in 1994, which was buried with a malachite mask and about 1000 pieces of jade. Don’t miss the The Templo de las Inscripciones, the most celebrated burial monument in the Americas.
• Acrópolis Sur, another major grouping of Maya temples and tombs. It includes an 8th-century limestone platform with carvings of seated figures and lengthy hieroglyphic texts that explain Palenque’s origins.