Most tourists to Cancun visit Chichen Itza, the most popular Mayan ruins on the Yacutan plateau and for good reason: The sophistication in architecture & advances in astronomy is mind-bendingly ahead of its time. But if you want to have ‘fun’ with the ruins, you have to drive a bit further out to Ek Balam. Visiting this ruins was easily the highlight of our Cancun trip!
Ek Balam has a very raw feeling to it. There are neither boundaries nor ropes, neither vendors nor guides, neither plaques nor signs – just peaceful & quiet time to explore, interact and have fun with the sites. Ek Balam invoked the explorer within us. We got the feeling that Ek Balam was recently discovered. As we scaled the buildings, the odd rock still slipped and moved, and we felt we could find an artifact or secret passage around every corner!
Ek Balam, which means Black Jaguar, is a typical Mayan settlement. It has an impressive observatory, surrounded by many smaller structures, the purposes of which is not clearly labeled. There is a ball-court for games and a house like structure expertly positioned to align with the Sun at Equinox.
The grandest building in the complex is the pyramid or acropolis which is in fact, much wider and slightly taller than the famous pyramid of Chichen Itza. The Acropolis has terraces with temples dedicated to Jaguar, as can be seen from the saber-tooths at the temple entrance. The thatched roofs were part of the original design; today they provide shade to the archeologist excavating inside the temples. The view from the top of the Acropolis is of the entire ruins and the jungle surrounding it. It really is calming. The descent, not so much; It is steep and the steps are high and narrow!
We spent a lot of time at the top just staring into the wilderness and then another boatload just staring at the pyramid from its base – it’s just so captivating. I attempted to walk around to the back of the Acropolis but path went through a jungle which became very thick very fast, so I didn’t venture too much.
The rawness of Ek Balam gave us the pleasure & excitement one feels while making a discovery. If you have time to spare in Cancun do not miss this wonderful place.
My Pravas 