Ek Balam

"Dark Jaguar" - "Lucero Jaguar"

Located 190 km east of Mérida, Ek´Balam is a Mayan city that had its maximum development during the classical period. It was possibly the center of the "Tlalol" kingdom.

Its foundation dates back to 300 B.C., until the arrival of the Spanish. It had an area of approximately 12 km2, which included a sacred space of just over 1 km2 where the elite resided, protected and bounded by 3 walls.
The foundation of this city is attributed to a lord called Ek' Balam or Coch Cal Balam, who arrived from the East and ruled for the first 40 years.

It was the capital of the empire of Tah, to which the towns of the eastern part of the state paid tribute, including part of the coast, as evidenced by the shell offerings that have been found.

It has 45 structures and is surrounded by two stone walls which had defensive purposes and for access control, and another one that joins the central buildings. Numerous vestiges have been found throughout this archaeological zone such as friezes, masks and statues with allusions to the jaguar and characters that were of great importance in the city, mainly effigies of rulers, which leaves between seeing that it was a city that rendered cult to Kukulkan.

Its best-preserved construction is the Acropolis with 160 meters long by 70 meters wide and 31 meters high, it is catalogued among the largest structures in Yucatan where you can see wonderful views of the Yucatecan jungle. On the fourth level is located the "Façade of Ek Balam", its large fangs resemble the mouth of a monster, it represents for the Mayans the entrance to the underworld from which you emerge reborn. A detail that you should not lose sight of are the famous winged warriors that are located on the sides of the facade.

Most of the buildings have rounded corners and that is why one of the temples is called the Oval Palace; It is also possible to visit the Ball Court (for the Mayan game ball) and the Twin Pyramids.

If you have more time, don't forget to visit the Cenote Xcanché, located next to the entrance to this archaeological zone. Here you can do activities such as hiking, biking, zip lining and of course, swimming in this wonderful cenote operated by the Xcnaché mayan cooperative.