Ek Balam: Mayan ruins, Yucatan, Mexico: photos & trip report

Ek Balam Mayan ruins near the colonial city of Valladolid in Yucatan, Mexico

During this week's trip to Akumal, I visited a magical Maya ruin site which I (and most of us) would not have found - Ek Balam - without a little local advice and direction. Ek Balam means "Black Jaguar" in Mayan and is located near Tzimin, just north of Valladolid about 15 miles north of the Cancun-Merida toll road: a 2 to 2-1/2 hour drive from Akumal via the Tulum-Coba-Valladolid road. On Saturday afternoon, we had the site almost to ourselves with the mot-mots and iguanas. This place is off the Cancun tourist bus routes and the drive takes you through several small Maya villages along paved roads. Admission is 17 pesos per person (free on Sundays).

Ek Balam, built in the Maya Classic Period is very large ruin site with a grand central pyramid, two large palaces, and numerous other temples and buildings. While it is not as completely restored or as large a site as Chichen Itza or Uxmal, Ek Balam is under active restoration and gives the visitor a great overview of the entire archeological process. The effect is almost mystical with restored buildings pushing out of the huge mounds of rubble and jungle undergrowth. The main pyramid contains some fabulous hieroglyphic carvings and frescos in excellent states of preservation. The view from the top is similar to that from the great pyramid at Chichen Itza and is a very steep climb. The numerous rooms in the palaces provide cool respites from the hot Yucatan sun. Other highlights of the site include a wonderfully restored Puuc gateway arch through which there is a great view of the main pyramid and central plaza as you approach it across a unique double wall around the site. There are also a Maya ball court, several large restored stellae, sacbe, ceremonial platforms and a circular observatory. In short - Ek Balam has all the bells and whistles of the other sites without the crowds.

Carvings of the main pyramid

Gary Walten has posted some of his great photos of the site in the LocoGringo Photo gallery under "Mayan Ruins" - accessible from the locogringo.com front page. A side highlight of the trip was a stop in Valladolid for lunch at Cenote Zaci - a huge cenote just 2 blocks from the zocalo in the heart of that historic city. The restaurant serves excellent quality Mayan cuisine at reasonable prices, and is sited on the edge cenote, cooled by the breeze drifting up from its depths. Cenote Zaci is almost as large as the great cenote at Chichen Itza, and more accessible. There are stone ramps within the cenote which allow you to easily walk down to the water's surface below. Local boys were diving from platforms along the walls of the cenote into the dark green pool 60-70 feet below. Oh, and it's free to diners at the restaurant.

I've visited most of the major ruins in the northern Yucatan (Coba, Tulum, Chichen Itza, Uxmal) but none has been more impressive than Ek Balam. If you're feeling adventurous and want to avoid the huge crowds at those other sites, explore a bit off the beaten track - Ek Balam will not disappoint. And a stop at Cenote Zaci for lunch or dinner really leaves you with an impression of why the Maya so highly valued cenotes - their coolness, the water, and the effect of the underworld revealed.

Warm regards from the Yucatan,

Mark Adsit

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