Palizada is a dreamy colonial-era river town where time seems to stand still. People come today to witness the slow passage of the river, and to walk the colorful streets of the center. There are ruins, and certainly jungles full of adventure, but usually the town stands in seemingly mute witness to the thousands of years that people have lived here.

The town was home to some Maya groups, but perhaps most surprisingly, it was first settled here by groups of Nahua and Chontal peoples. The town really took off in the 18th century when fine woods from the surrounding jungles were floated down the Palizada River, eventually to Ciudad del Carmen on the Laguna de Términos.

But today the vibrant city center and the long river front are enough to draw visitors from all over the world. Seldom crowded, the streets coalesce at the Mercado Eduardo Lavalle Urbina, where lunch is being prepared seven days a week. The town also boasts a small but intricate museum of the local lore. The Malecon along the river serves as something of main plaza on all but the very biggest of feast days. The Benito Juarez Plaza in front of the church of San Joaquin is just a block off the river front. Largely the center of civic and cultural life, there is nearly always something going on here.

Both ADO and Wayak provide bus service from Palenque to Palizada, the most common way to get here.

Fortunately, Palenque gets flights direct Mexican flights from Mexico City (AIFA). There are also terminal stations for both the Tren Maya and the Interoceanic Train from Coatzacoalcos in Veracruz. The trip from Palenque takes just under two hours.