It was elevated to the category of municipal district of the San Cristóbal municipality on January 1, 1945 and to the category of municipality in 1997 by the Dominican Congress.
Geography
Palenque is located at the coast of the Caribbean Sea near San Cristóbal. It is divided into its seat (cabecera literally head) Sabana Grande de Palenque and two districts (Secciones): Sabana Palenque and Juan Barón. It has some of the most popular beaches among the region's locals, but is generally not considered one of the major tourist destinations of the country.