Photo courtesy of Tom Canavan
To the north of the Palace and its platform stairway is a plaza with a small ballcourt on its east side. The ballcourt is visible in the midground of the photo, framed by raised viewing stands on either side.
"Today, as in the past, the visitor cannot help but be captivated by the beauty of Palenque's temples and palaces, placed like finely wrought jewels in a vivid tropical-green setting.
The north side of the [ballcourt] plaza is bounded by a series of small temples. One of these is the Temple of the Count, named after Count Frederick Waldeck, who reportedly lived there for several years while studying the ruins of Palenque in the early nineteenth century."
Robert Sharer, The Ancient Maya, p. 278