The Pre-Hispanic City and National Park of Palenque (Mexico) - There were a number of city-states in the Maya region, but the city that prospered most during the 7th and 8th Centuries AD was Palenque. Following the appearance of the city-state of Tikal, a number of other cities began to develop in the surrounding area. During the 7th and 8th Centuries the power of these independent cities gradually began to grow. Amongst these cities, the one that prospered the most was Palenque, a satellite city of Tikal. Its prosperity began when King Pacal succeeded to the throne. The Maya Site of Copan (Honduras) - A pyramid staircase engraved with countless cuneiform characters, the site of a ball court, and plazas surrounded by magnificent buildings, are some of the defining features of Copan. The ruined Maya city of Copan in western Honduras started to gain power after the city of Palenque's golden age had come to an end. In the center of the city there are a large number of stone monuments, five plazas with altars, pyramid-shaped temples that surround those plazas, and the dwelling of an oracle. The city itself had a number of satellite cities spread out over a wide region.