Ek'Balam - A Mayan City
Photography by Bill Bell

 

Ek'Balam Mayan city located 190 km east of Merida Ek'Balam Mayan Ruins, Mexico Only a few travelers know of it, but Ek'Balam contains one of the finest Mayan sculptures in the Yucatan. It also holds the record as one of the longest continuously inhabited communities in the area.

First settled it in 100 B.C. and remained so until the Spaniards arrived. Ek’Balam means “Black Jaguar” in Mayan. Most of the buildings at Ek’Balam were built around 800 A.D. or later. The buildings at Ek’Balam suggest that it was powerful at one time. The city lost much of its power around 1000 A.D., however, but remained inhabited long after.

The first excavations were carried out in 1886, but it was not until 1987 when serious work began. A few buildings remain buried, waiting to be discovered. The city is compact and was probably a walled city like Tulum. The first structure you find when entering the  Ek'Balam arch, Mexico site is a four-sided arch located over one of the sacbes or roads that were used to connect various ancient cities. This unique arch was probably used for rituals or certain ceremonies.

To the right of this building there is the Palacio Oval (Oval Palace) known also as La Redonda (The Round One), which is a semi-spiral shaped tower. Another building worth seeing is El Juego de Pelota (Ball Court) and Las Gemelas (The Twins). Click on any photograph to view in larger format