Pakal's Gateway to the Afterlife

When archaeologists opened this pyramid, they thought they found a tomb— but what they discovered

was a stairway to the afterlife. Deep inside the Mayan city of Palenque lies the Temple

of the Inscriptions, built over 1,300 years ago for King Pakal the Great. (Follow us now.)

Hidden within, a secret staircase descended to a stone chamber sealed for more

than a millennium. Inside waited Pakal’s sarcophagus— its lid carved with the image of the

king falling into the jaws of the underworld and rising again through the World

Tree to the heavens. His jade mask still shimmered, untouched by time— a symbol of rebirth

and divine power. Follow for more secrets buried beneath Mexico’s soil. The Maya didn’t