The original name of Palenque has been lost, and its present name is taken from the neighbouring village, Santo Domingo del Palenque.
The Palenque builders apparently used nothing but stone tools in their work.
Another and perhaps a better supposition is that they belonged to the Maya group, and represented a much earlier civilization than that of the builders of Palenque, Quirigua and Copan.
Unlike the dead cities of the Yucatan plains, Palenque is surrounded by wooded hills and overgrown by tropical vegetation.
The plan of construction shows three parallel walls enclosing two corridors covered with the peculiar pointed arches or vaults characteristic of Palenque.