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Palenque - The Aqueduct and Waterworks

Palenque’s charms are not all about inscriptions, tombs and crazy counts. They are also about water works and city planning. No wonder Palenque’s original name. Lakam-há which means "great water" was coined. The Palenque water-work system included 50 natural springs, 9 rivers and streams that fed the aqueducts, channels, and pools. Some archeologist believe that they invented the first pressurized water system in the new world.

The city planners built a walled channel under the Palace and main ceremonial plaza to ensure a large open space for religious and political ceremony. You can see part of the amazing stonework when you follow the path from the Palace to the Plaza of the Crosses. The roof of parts of the channel collapsed giving a partial view.

A carving of an alligator on a huge stone symbolizes the importance and the protection of the waterway.

After the water is channeled from the plaza the river resumes and flows down the hill forming baths and water pools.

Some archeologists have discovered that one of the aqueducts water channels reduced the path of water-flow significantly and produced a pressurized hose with enough power to shoot water 7 meters in the air. The likely use for this pressure was a fountain where rulers could demonstrate their power over nature.

 
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