Palenque — Decipher the Red Queen's Tomb
Uncover the 11-year mystery of Tz'ak-bu Ajaw, the Red Queen of Palenque. Decipher Maya glyphs and solve the riddle of her cinnabar-covered tomb to reveal her true identity and power.
📱 1 to 10 phones · 1 team per phone · Independent codes
In 1994, archaeologist Arnoldo González Cruz made one of Mesoamerica's most stunning discoveries: a royal tomb drenched in brilliant red cinnabar, containing 1,680 grams of the precious pigment and 14
Palenque — Decipher the Red Queen's Tomb
You are an ambitious junior archaeologist, working alongside Arnoldo Gonzalez Cruz in Chiapas, Mexico, in 1994.
Your mission: trace the history of the Red Queen, probable consort of Pak
Delve deep into the heart of the Chiapas jungle, Mexico, to decipher the millenary secrets of the Mayan civilization and the enigmatic fate of the Red Queen.
A game, a guided tour and a heritage guide — all in one
You're not just buying an escape game. You're carrying a living guide — historical anecdotes, forgotten legends, key monuments, hidden architecture — unfolding as you go.
At each stop, places ordinary guides miss — secret façades, sculpted crests, alleys steeped in history.
Every riddle is rooted in a real historical fact or local legend. You leave with dozens of stories to tell.
Learn to read buildings — flamboyant Gothic, Baroque, Art Deco — like a real art historian, while having fun.
Walk through the city like a novel's character — every alley becomes a stage, every square a theatre.
A voice walks with you at every step, tells the story of each place, reads clues, adds a cinematic feel.
Keep access to the guide & game for 1 year. Come back any time, share it with friends.
« You will not leave this city the way you entered it. »
How does it work?
Explore the city on foot solving puzzles based on real historical facts. No locked room — the city is your playground.
No app to download. Play directly from your browser. Guided step by step, at your own pace.
One purchase per phone is enough. Play with family, friends or as a couple — everyone participates.
Point your phone at the façade: a historical character appears and speaks to you in your language. Golden letters magically write themselves on the wall to reveal the puzzle answer.
Stuck? Progressive personalised hints. The character repeats the puzzle on demand — at your own pace.
French, English, German, Spanish, Italian + 27 other languages auto-translated by AI.
Want to go deeper?
Places tied to your adventure — optional entries, totally up to you · per person
The story that haunts this land
Your quest begins at Templo XIII in Palenque, where archaeologist Arnoldo Gonzalez Cruz discovered the tomb of the Red Queen in 1994. This sarcophagus, covered in cinnabar, a red mercury sulfide, gave the deceased her name. The red pigment exceptionally preserved the remains, allowing for the discovery of precious artifacts: jade jewelry, pearls, shells, and human bones, testaments to the sophistication of the Mayan civilization in Chiapas.
The journey then takes you to the Templo de las Inscripciones, the tomb of K'inich Janaab' Pakal, discovered in 1952 by Alberto Ruz Lhuillier. This pyramid, 30 meters high with 620 steps, houses 72 interior chambers. A stela rich with over 600 Mayan glyphs narrates the dynastic history of Palenque. It is here that the concept of a vertical 'psychoduct' is found, a conduit believed to allow the soul's escape, an idea also applied to Temple XIII and the Mayan heritage.
You then explore the Palacio de Palenque, the administrative center of the Mayan city, built between 650 and 750 AD. This 88,000 m² complex features four courtyards, towers, galleries, and over 200 rooms. The central Plaza is bordered by temples and royal residences. The Palenque Tower, 25 meters high, is a major architectural element, possibly an astronomical observatory, testifying to the ingenuity of the builders of Chiapas.
The path leads you to the Grupo de las Cruces, erected around 700 AD, which includes the Templo del Sol, Templo de la Cruz, and Templo de la Cruz Foliada. The Templo del Sol, on an 11-meter-high pyramidion, is adorned with richly carved interior decorations. These temples are linked to Pakal's dynasty, and their hieroglyphic tablets describe cosmological rituals, offering insight into the deep beliefs of the Mayan culture within the Palenque Archaeological Zone.
Your exploration concludes at the Museo de Sitio de Palenque, opened in 2002. This museum displays jade masks, ceramics, and a scale model of the Palace. It also presents a replica of the Red Queen's sarcophagus and funerary objects discovered by Arnoldo Gonzalez Cruz. This visit to Palenque's Mayan heritage, a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1987, helps understand how this capital of B'aakal flourished from the 7th to the 8th century AD, surrounded by waterfalls and ravines emphasizing its sacred role.
The Route
8 stages through the city
The gameplay: AR, camera, hidden clues
At each stop, open your phone camera: an augmented reality character appears on the façade and speaks your language. Hunt the clue — it materializes as golden letters on the real wall or floats in front of you. When you find it, the phone vibrates, an AR chest opens and reveals your answer fragment. 8 stops, 8 clues to find with the camera, 1 final code.
The stops on your route are a surprise. You'll discover them one by one, guided by your phone, starting from the meeting point.
How does it work with a group?
One phone = one team. Pick the number at checkout (1 to 10).
Solo, or a group sharing the screen. One team, one code.
Family, couple, or 2-3 teams competing. Each phone has its own code and its own score.
Friends, bachelor/bachelorette, small office outing — each their own code, each plays at their own pace. Tiered pricing then €6 flat per phone from the 6th.
- ✓All codes are independent — play at the same time OR separately, each team advances at its own pace.
- ✓Leaderboard between your teams + global game leaderboard — each score appears in the public ranking.
- ✓More than 10 phones or need a personalized quest? Discover custom tours.
Ready to live this adventure?
Get my code · 12€No calendar booking. Code sent immediately by email.
🔒 Secure payment · Code in 5 min · Free cancellation
Practical info
Why this route?
Mysterious Queen
Uncover the identity of the most powerful woman in the Classic Maya empire
Sacred Cinnabar
Discover the divine rebirth rituals revealed by the red pigment
Maya Epigraphy
Decipher the glyphs that revolutionized the history of Maya women
1300 years underground, 11 years without a name
Discover the identity of the most mysterious Maya queen
9 features nobody else has
OddballTrip combines gamified play, augmented reality and AI. All our competitors deliver 1 or 2 of these angles. We deliver all 5.
AR treasure chest
A golden chest floats in front of the monument. Tap → opening animation → reveals a secret message.
AR narrator character
Point your phone at the façade: a knight, witch, monk, sailor, detective or ghost appears full-screen and speaks to you in your language with their dedicated ElevenLabs voice (each character has their own unique voice) — your living guide.
Magic golden letters
At the puzzle climax, golden letters magically write themselves on the real wall — that's the puzzle answer. An unforgettable visual effect.
Written + audio narration
Every puzzle available as text AND voice-over: read at your own pace or listen eyes-free while walking. Great in groups and for accessibility.
360° radar + vibration
A mini-radar shows the target even behind you, and the phone vibrates when you aim in the right direction.
Heritage storytelling
Every puzzle weaves in real historical facts (architecture, era, anecdotes). You learn by playing — like a gamified audioguide.
Progressive AI hints
3 levels of AI-generated help: vibe → where to look → answer format. You're never stuck.
AR selfie memento
At the end of the game, capture a selfie with OddballTrip banner + mascot, shareable on Instagram, TikTok.
Zero app to install
PWA technology: open the link, it plays in your browser. Same quality as an app, no App Store hassle.
Frequently asked questions
Q01Do I need to download an app?
No, never. You get a link, you click, it plays in your browser. That's the point of a PWA: same as an app, without the hassle.
Q02Does it work offline?
GPS yes (handled by your phone). Maps yes (tiles cached). AI and hints need an intermittent 4G connection.
Q03How long does a game take?
1 h 30 to 2 h 30 depending on your pace. The timer runs but only for the leaderboard — you play at your own tempo.
Q04What happens if I'm stuck?
You get 3 levels of hints per puzzle (increasing penalty). If truly stuck, you can skip the step (45-min penalty but you keep going).
Q05What's the age range?
From 12 without an adult, from 6 with an adult reading puzzles. Works for families, couples, friend groups, companies.
Q06What if my city isn't in the catalogue?
Pre-register or contact us — we'll email you as soon as your city is live.
Q07What is augmented reality exactly?
Point your phone at the façade: a historical character appears full-screen and speaks to you in your language. At the puzzle climax, golden letters magically write themselves on the real wall — that's your answer. After each puzzle solved, a treasure chest floats in front of you. Seeing is believing.
Avis des aventuriers
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Your turn to play
Delve deep into the heart of the Chiapas jungle, Mexico, to decipher the millenary secrets of the Mayan civilization and the enigmatic fate of the Red Queen.
1 purchase = 1 phone. Play several on the same device.
No calendar booking. Code sent immediately by email.
🔒Secure payment · Code in 5 min · Free cancellation
🪙+24 TripCoins granted with your booking
Other escape games in Palenque, Chiapas
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