Excavations in the Southern Acropolis of the Group of the Cross are currently underway under the auspices of The Palenque Project (El Proyecto Groupo de las Cruces).


The Project is a joint venture of the Pre-Columbian Art Research Institute (PARI) and Mexico's Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia (INAH). The current excavations at Temple XX are being sponsored by the Center for the History of Ancient American Art and Cultures (CHAAAC), under the directorship of Professor Nikolai Grube at the University of Texas.


Directed by Merle Greene Robertson and principal investigator Alfonso Morales Cleveland, the Palenque Cross Group Project is a multidisciplinary effort staffed by an international group of archaeologists and other specialists in the study of the ancient Maya.


Also under the Project's auspices are the re-mapping of the entire site and the restoration of the incensarios unearthed near the Temple of the Cross during the 1997-98 digging season.

The Project integrates research and interpretations drawn from art history, epigraphy, iconography, architecture and Ground Penetrating Radar studies, in addition to the traditional mapping, excavation and artifact analysis of an archaeological project.

Our investigations aim to utilize all available resources to bridge gaps in the archaeological record and increase understanding of the communal and dynastic histories, as well as the architectural settings of Palenque. In particular we will focus on the time periods before and after the reigns of Palenque's most famous kings, Pakal, and his son, K'inich Kan B'ahlam.

A full crew is hard at work in the area. PARI and INAH look forward to some very satisfying information as to how and why certain types of building construction took place.

The Proyecto Groupo de las Cruces is a continuation of archaeological investigations conducted over the last hunded years. This project is integrated into the Proyecto Palenque, which functioned for a season as the Proyecto Especial Palenque, directed by Archaeologist Arnoldo Gonzalez Cruz.

The work of Gonzalez Cruz contributed enormously to the results of this project. Over the course of his investigations in the area of Palenque, Arnoldo has accumlated a profound knowledge of the site. He has also contributed to the continuity of this project by offering access to the results of his earlier researches.

We would like to recognize and thank the local authorities of INAH in Palenque, the directors of the Centro Regional, the Direccion Nacional de Arqueologia and the Consejo del INAH for granting us the permits to work at Palenque. We know that it is not only an honor but also a great responsibility to carry out archaeological investigations at a site of such historical significance.

The late Donald Marken deserves special recognition as the visionary who made possible the use of Ground Penetrating Radar at Palenque. As President of the Geo-Ontological Development Society, Mr. Marken provided us with access to the latest technology and financed our operations during the field seasons of 1997-2000.

Updates to this website will be made on a regular basis to make as much information as possible easily available to the public. Each member of our team of international experts brings their own particular knowledge and expertise to this project. Together we believe we can make a significant contribution towards a more complete understanding of the rich and complex culture of the ancient Maya.