Add a review about Eck-Balame

The archaeological park of Ek Balam is a smaller but beautiful diamond in the crown of Mexico's Mayan heritage .The city of the black jaguar - this is how its name is translated - the only one from Maya complexes, where samples of decorative carving on gypsum, once adorned all the buildings of Mayan cities .Winged warriors and outlandish snakes, priests, gods and heroes in realism of the image are not inferior to the glorified Greek and Roman bas-reliefs .The complex of ruins covers an area of ​​12 square meters .km, it can be bypassed in about an hour and a half .The Acropolis, the Oval Palace, the arches, the stelae and the ball court are just some of Ek-Balam's attractions .

A bit of history

The history of Ek Balam begins at 3 BC - the Mayans founded here a settlement, and the city is developing rapidly .By the 8th century, Ek Balam reached a peak in its development, and then suddenly, due to unknown reasons, it is empty .The main city of civilization is Chichen Itza, and the Mayans leave Ek Balam for the sake of a more successful settlement, first burying under the layer of land the main structure - the Acropolis .Thanks to this, the figured carving on the building remains untouched .Three centuries later, the city destroys the foreign invasion, and later the conquistadors come here .

Excavations in Ek Balam begin only in 1980, and to this day a large part of the ruins are still in the jungle.
Zest of Ek Balama - decorative carving on gypsum, once adorned all the buildings of Mayan cities.

How to get to Ek Balam

The archaeological park of Ek Balam is located next to the homonymous village, which is 23 km from Valladolid. From Valladolid to Eck-Balam you can get in a taxi or marchhotte "collectively". In the first case, the trip will cost about 30 USD and will take about half an hour. "Collective" will cost much cheaper - 4 USD per seat or 15 USD, if you decide not to wait for fellow travelers and "buy out" all four passenger seats. The minibus should be caught on Calle 37 between Calle 42 and Calle 44.

Another option is to hire a conventional taxi for about 50 USD. The chauffeur will take you to Ek Balam, wait an hour and bring it back. Bargain is a must!

Kitchen and restaurants

Not far from the entrance to the archaeological park there is a modest cafe where you can drink coffee, water or snack with light snacks. In the village of Ek Balam there are a couple of "workers' and peasants" restaurants, as well as one "with a complaint" - they serve Italian cuisine there

Shopping and shopping

At the entrance to the archaeological park there are several souvenir trays. Souvenirs do not shine with variety and beauty of performance, but you can choose a trifle for the memory of Ek Balama. Sellers are very intrusive - be careful and do not give in to flattering persuasions or offers to make room for car parking (if you arrived in the park on a rented car). Then most likely will be a rough call to the store.

Be sure to see the field for the Mayan ball game, dating from 841 year.

Entertainment, excursions and attractions in Ek-Balama

Despite the ongoing excavations, the lush tropical vegetation still hides most of the ruins of Ek Balam. For this reason, we recommend caution, interested in hidden under the forest canopy structures: the stones are covered with moss and can be slippery, and there is also the danger of falling into the unevenness of soil closed by fallen leaves.

There are 45 buildings in Ek Balam, but only some of them are available to visit. The main pearl of the complex is the pompous Acropolis, the most important administrative building of Ek Balam. Here it is worth seeing its 160m long lower floor with a gallery - a series of separate rooms-rooms.

Above the Acropolis is the main pyramid of Ek Balam, 32 meters high (it can be climbed, but the way down will not be for those who are dizzy) .The entrance to the pyramid is the giant jaw of the jaguar, the mythical founder of Eck-Balam, surrounded by amazing bas-relief figures of the most unique for the Maya carving on gypsum .Inside, the Maya high priest is buried with a hard-to-pronounce name .Here it is worth paying attention to skilfully executed skulls and figures of gods, warriors and priests .Of particular interest are images of winged people - one version, angels, another - shamans or healers .

Near the Acropolis there is a building of round shape, called the Oval Palace. Its exact purpose is unknown - most likely, it served as a ceremonial structure, in which cosmogonic cults were sent. The stela depicting the supreme ruler of Ek Balam can be seen a little further.

The main square of the city with a solid size of 1 square. km served as a gathering place for the residents of Eck-Balam, and along its perimeter lived the Mayan elite.

Smaller twin pyramids were intended for religious worship, they can be climbed on top.

Definitely worth seeing the field for the Mayan ball game, dating from 841 year. The rules of the game for their thoughtfulness easily cross-match football and other crickets, and the fan organizations are not inferior to modern fan clubs.

The field for playing ball in Ek Balam is one of more than 1,300 similar stadiums, generously scattered around the ruins of Mayan cities in Mexico.

The main entrance gate to Ek Balam is an arch built of stone, once built into a protective wall, ringing the surrounding city. In total, there were two such walls.

Opening hours and cost of visiting

The Archaeological Park is open from 8:30 to 17:00, and it is best to arrive no later than at least two hours before closing. The entrance is 130 MXN, on site you can also hire a guide for the price of about 600 MXN.

Senote Schkanche

A natural well formed by an underground river, the Shonkai Senot, was worshiped by the Maya as a place of communion with the spirits of the underworld .Among other things, this is also a very beautiful natural formation .You can walk to the cenote for 20 minutes (distance - 1, 5 km) or ride a trishaw for 60 MXN round-trip .To the water leads a ladder, built along the steep inner slopes of the well .On the banks of the cenot, there are platforms for walking and observing the play of light in crystal water .Those who wish can descend from the platform on the rope to the kayaks and take a boat trip through the cenot or simply swim at the .Next to the Senoot, you can relax in a rather comfortable bungalow (500 MXN) or settle with a tent for 80 MXN .