Where does “Palenque” come from?

Palenque comes from Spanish palenque, a fortified settlement or stockade, ultimately derived from Latin palus meaning stake or palisade.

Ancestry of “Palenque”, step by step

Step	Language	Word	Meaning
1	Spanish	palenque	palisade; pit
2	Catalan	palenc	—
3	Catalan	pal	stake; pole; pale
4	Old Occitan	pal	stake
5	Latin	palus	swamp, marsh, morass, bog, fen, pool; stake,...
6	Proto-Italic	pākslos	—
7	Proto-Indo-European	peh₂ǵ-slos	—
8	Proto-Indo-European	peh₂ǵ-	to attach

Palenque — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer