Volume IMarch 2021
THE PALENQUE CHRONICLES
PALENQUE
A LIFETIME OF DOCUMENTATION
Fifteen volumes. More than five decades.
The most comprehensive documentary record of the rediscovery of one of the Maya world’s most extraordinary sites.
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Beyond the monuments lies another history:
the history of those who came to understand them.
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THE PROJECT
A documentary history of rediscovery.
In 1972, one journey to Palenque became the beginning of a lifelong research undertaking.
Rolf Becker’s work follows the missionaries, travellers, artists, diplomats, photographers and archaeologists who gradually brought the ancient city back into view. Sources in Spanish, French and English were collected, translated and compared across four centuries.
EXPLORE THE PROJECT →THE COLLECTION
Fifteen volumes.
One continuous record.
The collection is presented as a quiet museum library. Every volume opens a distinct chapter in the evolving understanding of Lakamha`—Palenque.
THE PALENQUE CHRONICLE
Centuries of rediscovery,
seen as one continuous history.
1567Missionary accounts
1784First official expeditions
1840Stephens & Catherwood
1858Early photography
1896Systematic documentation
1951Discovery of Pakal's tomb
2026Fifteen-volume project
ACADEMIC EXCHANGE