Palenque, one of the earliest Maya sites discovered, as well as one of the best preserved, was occupied from 100B.C. until the early 9th century. This area receives the heaviest rainfall in Mexico (60-120 inches annually), and thus the overgrown palatial ruins were not discovered by the Western world until 1746. It is deservedly one of the top destinations in Chiapas, both archeologically and for birdwatching. It would not be unusual to find inside the grounds the blue-crowned motmot, the citreoline and violaceous trogon, the chestnut-collared aracari, keel billed toucan, yellow-bellied elaenia, royal flycatcher, the scrub, yellow-throated and olive-backed euphonias, masked, scarlet-rumped and crimson collared tanagers, yellow-tailed oriole, and both the chestnut-headed and Montezuma oropendola, and of course, many of the outstanding raptors will be flying overhead. Needless to say, the trails around the outside of the grounds are equally as “birdy.”