Ancient city of Ek-Balam

Ek Balam is the ruins of an ancient city, one of the few surviving cultural heritages of the mysterious Mayan civilization.

Ek-Balam is located on an area of more than 12 square kilometers, on the Yucatan Peninsula, 20 minutes drive from the town of Valladolid in the middle of the jungle.

The history of Ek-Balam has about a millennium. But at the beginning of the XVI century the city was destroyed by the Spanish conquerors, and in its place there were ruins of buildings. Here archaeologists have discovered many ancient buildings, each of which is of great historical value.

In the northern part of the city is the Acropolis, which is considered the largest preserved ancient structure on the peninsula. In the depths of the Acropolis was discovered the tomb of the ruler of the city. And in the southern part of Ek-Balam there is a circular building – the Oval Palace. This building, according to archaeologists, was one of the observatories of the Maya tribe.

Also on the territory of the city as a result of excavations, mysterious twin pyramids, a platform for ritual games, an entrance gate in the form of an arch and a stone wall with the ruler of Ek-Balam depicted on it were discovered. In addition, two more buildings are currently being excavated near the Acropolis.