A stucco modeled bas relief, in the shape of the skull of a rabbit, gives this temple its name. In the inscriptions at Palenque Baak , or bone, is the name given to the local dynasty. The decoration on the portico's pillar may be interpreted as a defleshed rabbit, often interpreted as the symbol of Palenque or its emblem glyph. At the base of the building a room with a vault was located. It contained some human bone fragments and a large collection of jade objects. Jade jewelry was only worn by the Maya elite. Jade is a precious material that is only found on the Motagua River in Guatemala . So long distance trading at Palenque was no doubt a common practice.

The Temple of the Skull, or Temple XII , is next to Temple XIII . Both were built on top of a large platform, and were possibly built in the VIIIth Century AD. Each building had a stairway that lead to the top of the temples. These temples at the top were built on previous buildings, according to archaeologists, dated around the VI Century. Those buildings must have been very important, and were used as graves for some of the most important figures in Palenque 's dynasty. One of these buildings held a tomb which contained more than 700 pieces of jade, including one that had the emblem glyph of the city of Pomona and is dated February 20th, 697 AD.

 

Pomona (an ancient city in Tabasco ) was named B'alam or Jaguar in ancient times. It cannot be assured that the character buried here was a ruler. Apparently Pomona & Palenque maintained an alliance, as in texts at Pomona a visit of the Palenque kings is recorded in 751 AD.

 

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