An easy, thirty minute drive north of Valladolid (or about an hour away from the super famous ruins of Chichén Itzá) takes you to the archaeological park of Ek’ Balam. The name translates to Black Jaguar or Jaguar Star by Mayan speakers. I had not heard of it prior to our trip, but now – without ever having seen other Mayan ruins – I am willing to say that this is an excellent choice if you’ve only got time for one. Ek’ Balam is Yucatec-Maya and had its greatest population from 770-840 CE, which was probably 12-18,000. The original site is about 5 square miles in size, and today about 1 square mile has been excavated.
I chose this site for us for lots of reasons, based on my Internet research. 1) It’s one of a few Mayan ruin sites that visitors are still allowed to climb. 2) Fewer tourists go there. 3) There is exceptionally preserved stucco frieze that you simply will not find at another site in equal condition. 4) It’s forested and shady. 5) There are no hawkers or vendors trying to sell you stuff. 6) The region is an easy drive from the airport, and is how we chose the city of Valladolid to stay in.
I was elated to find that in actuality, each one of these selling points turns out to be absolutely true, and more so than I was even hoping for. Especially tourists – there honestly was hardly anyone there. You will see in the photos. And the blessed, blessed shade close to every structure made it so much better.
My Internet research almost got us into trouble because many of the site reviews talked about some kind of scam to look out for about a mile before the entrance to the park. Several TripAdvisor reviews warned me not to speak to the people who put cones across the road and try to stop you. The reviewers said they’re trying to sell tickets to lame cenotes and parking spaces that are too far away and all of it is bogus. I was ready for the scammers, and spotted them as I was driving to the park entrance, just exactly where the reviews said they would be. I dodged the cones and was ready to gun it, but Pedro made me stop when people came at the car waving and hollering.
The checkpoint is actually a visitor survey program and is run by folks employed by the government. They never asked for a penny. They wanted to know how many were in the car, and how many of us were locals, from Yucatán, or maybe even more local from Temozón. The lady had brochures and showed us what we could see in the area. She recommended some places we weren’t interested in – maybe she was trying for a commission. When she found out we were heading for Ek’ Balam, she recommended heading to the back of the site first, and then exploring slowly on our way to the front. The reason is because the acropolis is at the back, and if we hit that first, we would have the energy to climb it. She double-checked if we were locals by asking if we had our voting cards. If so, we would be able to get a huge discount at the park. We confirmed that we were really tourists and had no local voting cards, and she waved goodbye and wished us a good day.
There is a small, but nice paved parking lot in the jungle. The trail that leads to the site entrance is not obvious from the parking area, which is an example of how NOT a typical garish tourist spot it is. The park entrance building is also small but nice, and clean, and well attended with bathrooms and a tiny coffee/snack shop and gift shop. You walk through the building to enter the park and just outside the back were a few tiny kiosks selling more snacks and some crafted items like carvings and weavings. The vendors remained peaceful and silently watched us pass them on our way to the park. They were quiet (though hopeful) on our return trip too. There was a single young man dressed in grand Mayan traditional regalia who would have been willing to pose for a photo with us, but we walked on by.
The entrance to the excavated area becomes apparent with the remains of a defensive wall. As recommended to us by the survey lady, we found a trail and passed all the stuff to head directly the farthest spot from the entrance. It was easy to find because it is the the tallest point in the park. The acropolis was built by king Ukit Kan Le’k Tok’ and also holds his tomb.
You guys, there were hardly any people at the park. It was awesome.
I left my camera with Andre and then Pedro and I ran to the top of the pyramid. The steps are unnervingly steep, but we did fine. A woman who climbed with us got all the way to the top and then turned around to look and collapsed in fright. We felt so bad for her, as we could tell it was completely involuntary. As we bounced around and posed for photos, her husband coaxed her with soothing sounds and got her to slowly scoot backward, one step at a time, with her face buried forward into the steps, toward the ground again. When she reached the bottom, the five of us who had been watching her progress cheered for her.
I left Pedro up there and hopped and bounced back down the steps to collect my camera. I overheard other tourists make clucking sounds and predict my demise. I slowed down to make them feel better. They should have been pleased at my carefree pace- I might have tumbled and gave them a show and a story to tell. Then I climbed back up to where Pedro was.
On either side of the acropolis main steps are additional structures, including a temple on one side that holds the tomb of king Ukit Kan Le’k Tok’.
Below both the temple on the left and the structure on the right, near the bottom of the steps are two entrances on either side. You can see in the photos that both have thatched roofs. The one on the left is the entrance to the tomb. It makes me wonder if the spaces on the right were meant to be another temple and tomb, or maybe placeholders for some future leader? On the steps are the heads of snakes reared up to protect the doorways (yeah, it’s not obvious, I had to look it up.). I edited the image below to highlight the part that says the king’s name, Ukit Kan Le’k Tok’ and the name of the site, Ek’ Balam in Mayan hieroglyphics. Inside the tomb (which we could not access) are apparently cave paintings that include a lot of writing. These writings are the source of much of what we know about this place.
The stucco frieze is in astoundingly good condition. It seems unreal. After the king was buried, the whole thing was covered by powdered limestone and rocks to preserve it. The palm thatched roofs up around the acropolis are there today to continue to protect these beautiful sculptures now that they have been uncovered and exposed to the elements.
After we were done climbing around on the acropolis, we went back to the bottom to meet the boys and see the rest of the complex. We spent a total of about two hours there. I could easily have entertained myself at Ek’ Balam for four hours, but I love heat and archaeology. The other three were sweating and not as eager as me. (I mean, the humidity was a killer, but I think it bothered me less because I love heat to begin with.)
Liam and Andre in the ball court. 
Standing on the top of the Oval Palace, looking back toward the acropolis. 
We almost missed these because they are tucked beneath trees. 
We could see this from the acropolis, but could not walk over there. 
The Entry Arch was probably the main entrance to the city center, back in the day. 
We walked through all these buildings, poking around and stepping inside many small rooms. 
The Oval Palace, I will guess, is named for the oval-shaped terraces.
On the path out of the park, I spotted this beautiful caterpillar. I put my finger next to it for perspective in the photo. While I was distracted with this giant worm, Pedro spotted a worm swarm right above me in the tree. That’s a lot of caterpillars.
A single stand was set up at the edge of the parking lot when we returned to our car. A man was selling coconuts and it seemed like a perfect treat when we were all so hot and dehydrated. We bought two coconuts and shared them.
The four of us sat in the shade next to the coconut stand, sipping our drinks until they were empty. Then Pedro asked the man to open them up for us to eat the meat, and he was happy to help with that, cutting up the coconut flesh so we had small pieces that were easy to pick up in our hands. While we sat there refueling, a little kid zoomed up on a bike and began chatting to the guy. They were speaking Mayan. The boy was a local and they were friends. Pedro and the guy chatted for a while and the coconut seller explained how it was important to him to encourage kids to speak their native language first, then learn Spanish later. He said his upbringing was the opposite: he learned Spanish first, and then when he was older, he struggled to learn Mayan. So he encourages the boy to come and talk to him.
The coconut had reminded us that we were hungry for a real meal. We drove back to Valladolid, imagining what we could do next, once we cleaned up and ate.
Conscious Engagement 
Wonderful. thanks for the detail on the various parts. We only went to Chichen Itza, didn’t know about this. But my fave part of the area were the cenotes. Hope you found one!
We did go to a cenote, and I agree with you: simply marvelous. It’s my next post. :o)
Crystal, I have always wanted to go to Mexico exactly because of the Mayan archaeological sites the country has. I envision my first trip to this country would involve exploring Mexico City and the Yucatan. So, reading this was really a treat. I especially love those photos of the exquisite carvings! Speaking of the warnings you read on the Internet, it makes me wonder if some bad experiences people had might have actually been caused by misunderstandings. It’s so cool that the younger generation there can speak Mayan.
Hi Bama, I’m glad you liked the topic here. With my continuing relationship with Pedro, I am hoping to have many future trips to Mexico, because we will go back to visit his family. I agree that Mexico City is on my bucket list – so much history there. Obviously, Mayan ruins were something I really wanted to see because it was our first stop in our 10-day Mexico trip. I’m so grateful to all the boys for humoring me.
To the Internet warnings – that’s exactly what I thought!! The people who said it was a scam must have been confused and suspicious (which is pretty common when humans go to other countries – Americans especially). I also wonder if other sellers join the survey people to take advantage of the traffic stop, or… maybe since Pedro was a native speaker, the survey person didn’t try to sell him anything? Who knows. But I think your instincts are probably right.
Another well photographed tour of s splendid place to visit. I am so impressed at what you managed to do with your problem knee. You may have realised that my knees are so bad now that I can’t do slopes or steps without rails, so I could identify with the woman who lost her nerve when faced with coming down. Last year I climbed directly up a slope but had to come down sideways – not from fear but from potential loss of balance.
I knew that you had to be cautious with your knees, but did not realize that you must use rails. I can understand that to some degree. When my knees were at their worst, it was very painful to descend down steps, and I had to go sideways, with right foot always first. At the same time, my knees would simply give out unexpectedly, or lock up, so that I couldn’t bend them at all and be frozen in place. At those times, I also could not make any kind of climb without something to hold on to. I was getting ready to purchase a cane for use on flat areas, but that level of disability did not last long. It helps me have empathy for a permanent change in knee reliability, like yours. I think I remember you describing that slope, and the time it took.
I can give you a few decades 🙂
I’ve never been. Still another wonderful trip that I’ve had the pleasure of enjoying vicariously through you. Well, except maybe the caterpillars!
Ha ha! I know you are not the only one who feels that way about the caterpillars. Liam had been watching me take the first photo, but when his dad pointed out the cluster of caterpillars, it was enough for Liam, and he had to walk away. I enjoyed this trip very much and I am pleased to have the chance to share my impressions with you. This was unlike other trips of mine, in that I was with Pedro’s kids, and the second half of our trip was with Pedro’s large family. So we took everything more slowly, with more thought and compromises. We were all learning from each other while learning about the new places.
What a gorgeous place, Crystal. I completely agree that it is often more rewarding to seek out lesser known and visited places, instead of just going to where everyone else is going. It sounds like you had heaps of fun!
This was such a wonderful archaeological park, Jolandi. My guess is that you have seen your share and can compare. I have only had the training, just not the experience you have. However, I believe that an archaeological background must be one of the best for exploring ancient ruins. I am a little struck by the idea that humans from thousands of years ago were so similar to humans now. A ballfield! ha ha. I deeply appreciated being able to climb the structures and to see the landscape the way the builders had meant for it to be viewed. I was also thinking about how it was probably built for the elite, and someone common like myself would not have been allowed to climb to the top, or to enter any room I came to. I probably would not have been allowed to get so close to the jaguar doorway and see those marvelous friezes. So it’s sad that we cannot know exactly what it was like here when it was built, but it’s also fortunate that so many years have passed that we now have this opportunity.
Going to the less popular ruins was the right choice for us: the boys are not comfortable in large groups. (nor am I!) When I am in a busy place, like the Smithsonian museums we visited recently, I remain aware of the people behind me, waiting for me to move so that they can look. It causes me a low level of anxiety, and usually means I move on from things before I am ready. At Ek’ Balam, there was none of that.
What a beautiful way to explain it, Crystal. I understand completely about the discomfort in large groups. Since moving to the quinta 3 years ago my natural tendency to avoid people have been exacerbated. I’ve also started changing the way I think and feel about travel, and am definitely pivoting towards places with less tourists where my presence can add to the wellbeing of the locals instead of having a detrimental impact on the place I visit. And I love visiting places where one can touch the past in ways one would never have been able to if one lived at the time in that place.
Above all, I love how you are building a relationship with the country Pedro is from.