Valladolid and Ek Balam

I was excited to come here to Valladolid and enjoy the rich history of this very Maya city and region. Valladolid was given its name in 1543 from the then capital of Spain. It was founded by Francisco de Montejo's nephew (although the present-day city of Valladolid was not the original location of the city-that was not too far away from what is now known as Valladolid; present-day Valladolid was actually built on top of a Maya town called "zaci"). Just 12km south of Valladolid lies Xocen, the site of the beginning of the famous Caste War between the Maya and the ruling Spanish (in 1848-after the independence of Mexico from Spain-but those of Spanish blood were still controlling much of the state of affairs within the city and the surrounding region). I have included a picture of the Catedral de San Gervasio which sits on the main square or zocalo of Valladolid. I have also included a picture of the Convent of San Bernadino (where a couple of kids started asking Paloma and I if we spoke English-they were asking us a few questions in English but I spoke to them in Spanish-it was pretty funny). I really liked Valladolid and the people here were friendly. I'm glad that I was able to come here and spend the day.

Ek Balam (or "Black Jaguar" in Yucatec Maya) was my absolutely favorite site that I visited in Yucatan. It's a small site but truly interesting. There is not a lot of information about this site because only recently have archaeologists and other scholars begun to show interest in this place. So here are a few of the photos that I took from around Ek Balam. I wish that I could show all of them but these blog entries can take a bit of time so I am forced to pick and choose. I believe that this site reached its apogee around 700ce-1000ce (but those dates could be a little off). It is gaining in popularity (in terms of being visited by tourists) but when Paloma and I were here, there were not a lot of other people (hardly any, really). I have included a few pictures of the rounded structure, which is quite rare for the Maya, the archway that one encounters at the entrance to the site, and one picture of me "claiming" the site as my own!! What an amazing place to be able to visit!!

The great pyramid/temple found at Ek Balam is huge! And I love how it's tucked away into the surrounding jungle at the site. But the view from the top is cool and this structure speaks to the relative wealth of the royal family (or families) who ruled here. Ek Balam is a pretty small site but a very interesting one. I was fascinated by all of the sculpted glyphs found on the stairways of the pyramid, as well as on the facades of inaccessible rooms of the pyramid. I truly loved this site (I just can't say that enough)!

And here is the amazing stucco frieze for which Ek Balam is gaining notoriety among not only archaeologists, but also among the general public. In 2004, a group of archaeologists and workers were clearing and cleaning off the surface of the great pyramid. One of the workers was trying to pull a small tree out from the surface of the pyramid and mistakenly pulled out a few of the stones of the pyramid!! But his mistake would reveal this amazing piece of artistry!! And usually stucco cannot be preserved for centuries upon centuries (especially with a climate like the one found in Yucatan) unless it has been covered up like this frieze was for a millenia!! As I look over these pictures even now, I cannot believe that I was able to stand in front of this structure! I am amazed by the precision, the artistry, the iconography, and the pulchritude of these sculpted Maya images. Even though it was extremely hot and humid, I did not mind one bit because I was able to see this structure!! Amazing, amazing, amazing!!!

Here are a few more images of this great frieze found at Ek Balam. Paloma was laughing at me because I didn't want to leave this place! I was just awe-struck by these images; the precision, artistry, and Maya iconography. The lower jawbone of the earth monster is shown in one of these images. The Maya believed that one could enter the "underworld" through the earth monster's jaws (also caves were believed to be sacred entrances-and exits-of the underworld). I believe that these winged-figures are the only ones to be found within the Maya area. Some say that they are warriors but others claim that they are priests. Either way, these winged-personages are simply fascinating. I just loved being here and standing in front of this monument erected by the artists and sculptors of the Maya.

And here are some of the images of the surrounding area of Ek Balam as well as one picture that shows how steep the climb is up the stairs of this great pyramid/temple. The structure is actually enormous! It's over 500ft long and over 200ft wide! Evidence here suggests that perhaps bloodletting rituals were performed here, but archaeologists have only been studying this site for a short period of time so not much information is available about Ek Balam. But I absolutely loved the views from the zenith of the great pyramid and I was obviously sweating from the climb and the hot, humid climate. However, Paloma and I agree: this is our favorite site that we visited on our trip to Merida. Even though it isn't a very well known place (there were like four other people-tourists-here when we were), it is soooooo fascinating and definitely the highlight of our trip to Valladolid.