THREE INSCRIPTIONS OF 1^\LENQUE" 



By E. Fokstemann 



If we turn to the southeast from the principal edifice, the so- 

 called palace, on the long famous site of the ruins of Palenque, we 

 find at a distance of about 100 meters three buildings which approxi- 

 mately form the corners of an equilateral triangle whose sides are 

 about 50 meters in length. Their position can be best understood 

 from the sketch map of Holmes, Archaeological Studies among the 

 Ancient Cities of Mexico, part 2, page 208, plate xxiv, Chicago, 1807; 

 also in Maudslay, volume 4, plate i. 



The three buildings are as follow: 



I. The Temple of the Cross, the inscription of which I have dis- 

 cussed in Globus, volume 72, number 3, pages 45 to -19. 



II. The Temple of the Cross No. 2 (according to Holmes) or of 

 the Foliated Cross (according to Maudslay). 



III. The Temple of the Sun. 



Each of these three buildings contains a large inscrij^tion of an en- 

 tirely different character from the three tablets in the Temple of 

 Inscriptions southwest of the palace, of which I have recently treateil. 



The inscriptions of these three temples, on the other hand, are 

 closely related, and to show this will be the theme of the present arti- 

 cle. I shall designate them by the numerals I, II, and III, as the 

 temples themselves have been designated. Maudslay also says, vol- 

 ume 4, page 30, in regard to Temple II: "' The plan and arrangement 

 of the building are almost precisely similar to those of the Temple of 

 the Cross ". 



A cursory glance shows that these three inscriptions belong together. 

 Their center is occupied by a large design, which in I and II is a 

 figure resembling a cross, usually thought to be the tree of life, on 

 which the sacred quetzal bird sits. In III the central figure rests on 

 the shoulders of two crouching persons. The lower part of tlie figure 

 consists here of a rectangle curiously adorned, from which two crossed 

 lances project, the point of intersection being hi,dden by a fantastic 



" Dit'i Insiliriftt'ii von rali'iKiuc, (ilobns. v. "<>, n. 11, lS't',1. 



583 



