La construcción de un paisaje urbano: vecindades, infraestructura y circulación en la ciudad maya antigua de Palenque

In the Late Classic period of Mesoamerica (600-900 CE), the maya city of Palenque was a dynamic center able to concentrate events and peoples. The daily interchange of persons and experiences was happening both in Palenque’s open spaces, likely between people living within the city limits and coming from its outskirts, or inside its neighborhoods at a more intimate level. Throughout the centuries, the Palenque environment was shaped by generations of inhabitants to sustain these actions and interactions, eventually leading in the VIII century to the city we appreciate today. In this text, the urban form of Palenque is being addressed through three aspects that are relevant to understand city growth, urban planning and people’s interchanges: infrastructure, neighborhoods and movement. Because of the communal works some of these features require, and the interaction they promote, these three elements point to the relation between people, and to the way spaces were conceived, modified or used to promote or prevent movement, actions and interactions. For instance, I will highlight how Palenque center seems to be a restricted place for daily use, and the way it establishes a separation between the west and the east sides of the city. Moreover, in the text I will discuss how the west side of Palenque is more “porous” with respect to the east side, because of the openness of its neighborhoods borders and the plateau topography.