Ek Balam
Zona ArqueolóGica (INAH) · Temozón, Yucatán
Ek Balam, whose name means black jaguar, is a walled Maya city about 30 minutes north of Valladolid, and its greatest treasure survived because the Maya buried it. When the tomb of its king, Ukit Kan Le'k Tok', was sealed in the ninth century, the doorway to it, a huge stucco monster's mouth with teeth flanked by winged human figures, was packed with rubble and so escaped a thousand years of weather. Archaeologists uncovered it in the 1990s and it still looks almost new, now under a protective roof. The Acropolis, over 30 metres high, is among the largest structures in the Yucatan, and its steps are steep and high. Ek Balam is small, close to Chichen Itza and a fraction as crowded, with a community-run cenote, X'Canche, ten minutes by bicycle. Climbing rules at Yucatan sites change, so ask at the gate. There are two fees, federal and state, so bring cash. Go at opening, sleep in Valladolid and do Chichen Itza on a different morning.
Zona Arqueológica de Ek Balam, Temozón, Temozón, Yucatán, 97740, Mexico
The archaeological zone keeps INAH daytime hours; ⚠ ADMISSION IS AN INAH FEE PLUS A SEPARATE YUCATÁN STATE FEE, and the state charge is the larger - bring cash. INAH Sunday free admission covers only the INAH portion and applies to Mexican nationals and residents only. ⚠ THE ACROPOLIS HAS BEEN CLIMBABLE, UNLIKE CHICHÉN ITZÁ, BUT RULES CHANGE - ask on arrival. ⚠ GO AT OPENING: little shade, and tour groups arrive mid-morning. Cenote X'Canché, 10 minutes away, is community-run with its own fee; ⚠ NO SUNSCREEN OR REPELLENT IN THE WATER. ⚠ HOURS AND PRICES NOT VERIFIED FOR THIS FILE.