Valladolid ….. day trip to the Mayan ruins at Ek Balam and a rain encore

November 14, 2023

After last night’s rainy weather and the gloomy skies outside our windows, we were somewhat apprehensive about our excursion for today. Our plan is to visit Ek Balam, another Mayan ruin allegedly not as well known as Chichen Itza…we will only have this one opportunity as this will be our last day in Valladolid.

With our rain gear in our backpacks, we enjoy another filling breakfast and head for a different collectivo station to catch our ride to Ek Balam which is a 45-minute drive northwards from Valladolid.

Our timing is excellent as there is one person already waiting (a young French woman from Montreal) and the driver is ok to go with us three…280MXN (22 CAD) return trip for us both. This time we are travelling in a small beat-up car and 45 minutes later we are there…much different situation as there were only one or two tour buses and a very modest number of cars….the fewer the better!

The entry fees are very similar to that of Chichen Itza 1062 MXN (85 CAD) for us both, the weather is hot, muggy with an overcast sky, time to get to work.

Ek Balam is a Yucatec Maya name that translates to “Star Jaguar.” It existed for over 1000 years with the most important cultural period between the years 700 – 840 A.D. It wasn’t until the late 1980’s when the site was mapped, and research has continued since then. A few factoids to give perspective:

• The entire settlement covered about 12 square kilometers but only 1 square mile can be viewed;
• At its height there was a population of some 20,000 (smaller than Chichen Itza) but still impressive;
• Only the center of Ek’ Balam has been excavated.;
• Ek Balam is composed of several temples, two palaces, and a large pyramid (El Torre) which is located in the center of the city.
• The decoration of Ek Balam’s building facades was not carved stone, like those found in Uxmal and Chichen Itza. Builders and artists used stucco and limestone mortar, a pliable material that could be modeled into distinct forms and painted over.

After getting our tickets scanned, we walked along a white gravel path through a group of vendors (very low-key) and entered the South Plaza…

 

The site as can be seen on the map had a series of walls enclosing the inner city. We are starting our walk from the south… The Entrance Arch (pic below) is open on all four sides and served as a city gate used primarily for ceremonial and religious processions. The crossed vault (corbel vault) is unique in Mayan architecture.

The South Plaza consists of several structures (Oval Palace, Ball Court, etc.)and the small temple which we both climbed and afforded us some fine views of the South Plaza and The Acropolis …

…and the small temple which we both climbed affording us some fine views of the Acropolis 

The weather is holding up and this site has more trees than at Chichen Itza, providing cover from the sun when it comes out. The feeling is more jungle-like as we are enclosed on all sides as seen above.

The South Plaza contains the Acropolis and the tomb of Ukit Kan Le’k Tok. This imposing structure is 127 meters/480 feet long and over 30 meters/90 feet in height. It contains several structures superimposed over each other in successive construction phases as was common at the time. It contains numerous rooms, passageways, courtyards, temples, and stairways across six levels. To get to the top one needs to climb 106 rather steep stairs…Annie figured it took me about 4 minutes to get to the top…the last 10 feet were a bit tricky as you need to use a small ladder of log branches to reach the bench at the very top…

It is well worth the effort as the views from the top are superb overlooking the structures in the South Plaza and the seemingly endless jungle surrounding the site…

 

Then of course you need to descend which is tougher than the climb…

However, on the fourth level, you can take a look at a self-contained structure unparalleled in the Maya world. This temple has an intricately worked stucco façade that is nearly perfectly preserved.  The main element is the huge open-fanged mouth of an earth deity through which a passageway leads deeper into the structure within which lies the impressive tomb of Ukit Kan Le’k To’k’, with an offering of more than 7,000 pieces of various materials.

Afterward, we walked around the back of the Acropolis and came upon a crew restoring part of the Acropolis wall using methods not far removed from those of the original Maya builders…

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