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Exploring the Maya World

A journey into the past with ancient art and digital technology

In collaboration with

British Museum

Meet the Maya

The History

Who are the Maya?

Get to know the Maya of the past and today with writer and presenter Kanishk Tharoor

The Cos-Maya-politan Future

How the Maya are Preserving and Re-inventing Their Culture

Mayan anthropologist Dr Genner Llanes-Ortiz traces the history of Maya civilizations to the modern day

Kick-starting preservation

How ancient Maya culture captured the imagination of Victorian explorers

The Expeditions

5 Explorers Who Studied Maya Culture

A brief history of the early expeditions that documented ancient abandoned cities
More images from early expeditions

What did 19th-century explorers see?

Discover the sites before and after restoration

Then and now

Temple of the Sun, Palenque

Step inside to uncover stories of warfare and the underworld

Then and now

The Palace of Palenque

The royal residence of Pakal the Great

Then and now

Temple of the Inscriptions, Palenque

Palenque's royal tomb

"It was the unexpected magnificence of the monuments which that day came into view that led me to devote so many years to securing copies of them, which, preserved in the museums of Europe and America, are likely to survive the originals."Alfred Maudslay

The next generation of preservation

How ancient Maya sites are brought to life today

Bringing the Maya Story to the World

Play video

How new technologies help preserve and recreate ancient artifacts
From photos to 3d models

The Technology of Imagination

Jago Cooper explores how new technology can communicate the past

See Palenque for yourself

Take a trip deep into the Mexican jungle with digital technology

Watch

Hop in the Back of a Pickup and Drive to the Site

Watch

Your First Glimpse of the Ruins

3D MODEL

See a Hieroglyphic Panel From the Temple of the Inscriptions Up Close

3D MODEL

An Ancient Glyph From the Temple of the Inscriptions at Palenque in 3D

3D MODEL

Part of the West Panel at the Temple of the Inscriptions

3D MODEL

Hieroglyphic Panels from the Temple of the Inscriptions

3D MODEL

Replica of a Glyph from the Temple of the Inscriptions

3D MODEL

Middle Panel at the Temple of the Inscriptions

Watch your step

Discover the story told by the Palenque stairway

Decode the Hieroglyphs on the Palace Steps

Learn about kings, coronations, and captives

Explore the stairs, step...

by...

step...

Enter the palace

The home of Maya royalty

Watch

Walk Through the Palace's Corridors

Virtual Tour

Take a Guided Tour of the Palenque Royal Quarters

3D MODEL

A Glyph from the Ancient Palace

3D MODEL

Lady Sak K'uk' offering the royal headdress to her son, K'inich Janaab Pakal

3D MODEL

A Stucco Corridor Arch From the Palace