Ek Balam

Ekʼ Balam is a Yucatec-Maya archaeological site within the municipality of Temozón, Yucatán, Mexico. It lies in the Northern Maya lowlands, 25 km (16 mi) north of Valladolid and 56 km (35 mi) northeast of Chichen Itza. From the Preclassic until the Postclassic period, it was the seat of a Mayan kingdom.

The site is noted for the preservation of the plaster on the tomb of Ukit Kan Lek Tokʼ, a king buried in the side of the largest pyramid.

Entrance to Ek Balam.

Map of Ek Balam.
On this map north is at the top and south is at the bottom.

The entrance to the archaeological site is from the south (bottom).

Passing the gates.
Passing through the gates after purchasing the tickets.

The Defensive Walls.
These are the city's Defensive Walls, which end on both sides at an unsurpassable, steep sink hole.

The layout of the site is surrounded by two concentric walls which served as defense against attack. There were many smaller walls that snaked through the city as well.
The inner wall encompasses an area of 9.55 hectares (23.6 acres). The carved stone of the inner wall, 2 metres (6.6 ft) tall and 3 metres (9.8 ft) wide, is covered in plaster; the outer wall serves purely for defense, as it is less substantial and less decorative.
These walls were the largest in the Late Classic Yucatan, and seem to have a symbolic meaning of protection and military strength.
Theories claiming a hasty desertion of the city are backed up by the fourth wall inside the city, which "bisects the Great Plaza, and, at less than a meter wide and made of poorly constructed rubble, it was clearly built as a last ditch effort at protection" against invading attackers.

The Entrance Arch.
The Entrance Arch stands at the entrance of Ekʼ Balam on four legs, constructed over the road that leads into the city, and was probably ceremonial in purpose.

It must be the main access to the space reserved for the elite, protected by large stone walls and walls.
It has four bays: the access itself; those who move to the stairs with alfardas and one that moves towards the ramp, probably to facilitate the tasks of supplying the Walled Enclosure.
From the architectural point of view it is unique in its kind, because it is the union of four Mayan boves that support a very thick ceiling.

The Twins from west.
The Twins or Structure 17 atop of which there are two mirroring temples on either side.

The Ballcourt from south.
The Ballcourt was completed in 841.

On the way to the Oval Palace.

The Twins from east.

The Oval Palace.
The Oval Palace contained burial relics and its alignment is assumed to be connected to cosmological ceremonies.

Stelae 1 and 2.
Carved stelae which depicts a ruler of Ek Balam, possibly Ukit Kan Leʼk Tokʼ.

Rectangular base where Stelae 1 and 2 are located. The front face of Stela 1 shows Ajchan Naah "He of the House of Heaven", bears the Mayan date corresponding to January 18, 840.
The texts that identified the central character, a king of Talol, are not extant; on the reverse, other texts identify the top character as Ukit Kan Lek Tok.

The Twins from southeast.

The Ballcourt from southeast.

The Ballcourt from northeast.

The Acropolis.
The Acropolis or Structure 1 on the north side of the site is the largest structure at Ekʼ Balam and is believed to contain the tomb of Ukit Kan Leʼk Tokʼ, an important ruler in Ekʼ Balam. Excavations on it began in 1998, when it was just a mound.

The Acropolis, on the north side, is the largest structure and contains the tomb Ukit Kan Le'k Tok'.
Measures 146 m (479 ft) wide, 55 m (180 ft) wide and 29 m (95 ft) high.
The frieze of escayola, splendidly preserved, reviewed the door with the open jaws and the fangs of a serpient or monster; above these, the king on his throne and, to the sides, the figures of winged warriors.
Apart from Ek Balam, this type of decoration only appears in Chenes style, in Campeche..

Room 43.
It is the first of the three bays that are located on the fourth level of the Acropolis and the least preserved due to the deterioration caused by the roots of a tree that grew on it.

Climbing to the top of the Acropolis.

Room 35 or Sak Xok Naah.
It is the second room of the fourth level and its name means "the white house of reading".

Here the remains of Ukit Kan Lek Tok' were deposited, together with a rich offering that contained more than 7,000 shell and snail pieces.
Its façade is noticeably different, it has a large mask, elaborated in stucco, of the Earth Monster with its jaws open.