Ek Balam Part 4 of 7: The North Plaza's Ball Court and Sweat Bath

Ek Balam's Ball Court, looking north. According to deciphered glyphs, the Ball Court was dedicated in 841 AD. It was built by one of the successors of Ek Balam's greatest ruler, Ukit Kan Lek Tok'. The court is located in the southwest corner of Plaza Norte (North Plaza). It stands less than 10m (30ft) north of the Twin Temples (Part 3). the corner of which can be seen on the right. This close proximity may be intentional. The Twin Temples are thought to be associated with the Hero Twins of Maya mythology. The ball game is central to the story of their triumph over the Lords of Xibalba (the Underworld). 

In the center of Plaza Norte is the Sweat Bath, another fascinating structure. It was used by Ek Balam's elites for purposes that included religion, health, and giving birth. It was also utilized by the ball players to ritually purify themselves before a game. In this posting, I will show the Ball Court and the Sweat Bath and explain the roles that they played at Ek Balam. 

See Part 1 of this series for a site map showing the locations of all the structures in Ek Balam's sacred precinct. 

Under the eyes of elite spectators, ball players focus intently on their game. The players moved the ball by striking it with their hips, elbows, or knees. The use of hands or feet during play was not allowed. The heavy rubber ball could cause injury or even death if it struck an unprotected part of the body. Consequently, the players wore protective gear, as you can see above. While these players don't wear protection for their heads, some depictions of ancient ballplayers show them wearing helmets. For example, the famous Olmec Heads, found in the State of Veracruz, appear to be wearing ballplayer helmets.

The Ball Game, which the Maya called "pitz"or "pok-ta-pok", originated as far back as 2000 BC. A rubber ball has been found that dates to 1650 BC and the oldest ball court dates to 1400 BC. While the Olmecs, known as the "Mother of Cultures", did not invent the game, they did spread it throughout Mesoamerica. Nearly every ancient ruin I have visited has contained at least one ball court and some had several. Cantona contains at least 27, a figure unmatched anywhere else. During the Classic era (100-900 AD), the game began to include human sacrifice, usually of war captives.

This solid rubber ball was made from latex. The latex was tapped from trees (Castilla elastica) found in the tropical areas of Mexico and Central America. Latex was turned into rubber by mixing it with Morning Glory (Ipomoea alba). Rubber strips were wound around a solid rubber core to create the ball. The Aztecs gave the Olmecs their name, which means "Rubber People" in the Aztec language of Nahuatl. The name refers to the tropical area where rubber was produced. However, the Olmecs had vanished 1600 years before the Aztecs arrived on the scene, so they only knew about the Olmecs through legends. 

The balls used in the game varied in size and weight depending upon the version being played. The smallest that archeologists have found are 8-10cm (3.1-3.9in) in diameter and weigh 170-280gr (6-10oz). These were probably used in a game similar to handball. The largest balls were used on courts like the one at Ek Balam. These are 20cm (8in) in diameter and weigh 3-4kg (6.6-8.8lbs). A hard rubber ball weighing that much could be dangerous. The Spanish chronicler Diego Durán witnessed ball games where players were sometimes killed by balls that "hit them in the mouth or the stomach or the intestines."

Estructura 8 forms the eastern half of the ball court. Ek Balam's ball court is one of the most fully-reconstructed parts of the city. The rounded corners of Estructura 8 indicate an architectural influence from the Petén area of northern Guatemala. A broad staircase leads up the eastern face of Estructura 8. At the top of the second level, the city's elite could stand or sit to watch the play on the field below. In a modern stadium, we'd call it a "skybox". 

The Ball Game was not just entertainment, but served religious, cultural, and political purposes. In terms of religion, it symbolized the eternal struggle between light and darkness and the cycle of regeneration, particularly of maiz, the Maya's most important crop. Hun Hunahpu, the father of the Hero Twins, was the god of maiz. In the Hero Twins myth, both the father and his twin sons were great ball players (see Part 3). The Ball Game was as important to the Maya world as the game of soccer (football) is to the modern world. As with modern soccer, the ancient game was culturally unifying public entertainment.

Carole strolls by the northeastern corner of Estructura 8. In the background, above Carole, are the Twin Temples (Estructura 17). I was intrigued by the large doorway on the northern side of Estructura 8 (right center). Out of curiosity, I Googled up an image of Estructura 9, on the opposite side of the court. Sure enough, its northern side has an identical doorway. Each door leads into a long narrow room. The most likely explanation is that these were the "locker rooms" of the opposing teams. Their locations would have been perfect for this.

In addition to the religious and cultural functions of the Ball Game, it also had a political dimension. Ball games were sometimes conducted to settle conflicts between city-states or between internal factions within a given state. The game could thus be a proxy for war. According to legends told to the Spanish, the Toltec ruler Topiltzin played against several rival kings. By winning, he became their ruler. The number of ball courts within a given state appears to have been negatively correlated to its degree of centralization. The Aztecs had few and were highly centralized, while Cantona had scores but was internally weak.

North side of Ball Court's Estructura 9, showing its "locker room" door. This half of the Ball Court has a large door that is a duplicate of the one on Estructura 8. It also has a staircase on its back side that is similar to the one on Estructura 8. The stairs lead up to the top of the structure, allowing access to elite spectators. This staircase is definitely less impressive than that of Estructura 8 and its "skybox" is not as large. Consequently, I suspect that Estructura 9 was intended for use by the visiting team and its entourage, while Estructura 8 was set aside for Ek Balam's "home" team and its nobility. 

The far end of Estructura 9's locker room has several narrow horizontal windows, which is an unusual feature. I have seldom found windows in the rooms at ancient Maya sites. Another interesting feature is the cornice decoration along the wall just above the door. This consists of short columns set side-by-side in a long row. I saw similar columns at the great palace at Sayil, in the Puuc area of northwestern Yucatan. This shows that there were some Puuc architectural influences at Ek Balam. (Photo from Google Street View).

View looking south along the playing area. Estructura 8 is on the left and 9 is on the right. The Twin Temples rise in the background. The playing field included the vertical walls and sloping areas, as well as the flat ground in between. There are no stone rings mid-way down the court, like those found at Chichen Itza and Uxmal and some other sites. However I found damage to the court walls on each side at the approximate places where rings would have been. Various sources I have consulted provided contradictory information about whether stone rings were ever present at the court and, if so, what happened to them.

The games were a contest between two teams, generally with two-to-four players on a side. Some ancient depictions of games show an additional person, who might have been a referee. The object of the game was to keep the ball in the air, somewhat like volleyball without a net, but using only the hips, elbows, or knees. A team lost points if they allowed the ball to touch the ground, although there was apparently no penalty if it bounced off the vertical or sloping walls. Assuming the court did once have stone rings, a team could win by passing the ball through one of them. However, this was very difficult to accomplish.

A small altar stands a short distance north of the court. The altar, known as Estructura 6, is about 1.5m (5ft) square with a small step on its southern side. It is located about 10m (30ft) north of the court, and faces directly down the playing field. There was no informational sign to explain the altar's presence, but the proximity of the altar to the ball court suggests an obvious purpose. The rituals that were conducted here must have been related to the beginning or end of the games. As I have remarked before, the ancient Maya did not do things randomly, particularly when positioning and orienting their architecture.

The Sweat Bath

The ruins of the Sweat Bath are located in the center of Plaza Norte. The terrace and steps of the rectangular, two-level Estructura 4 face north toward the Acropolis (Estructura 1).  Behind Estructura 4 is a U-shaped structure that was once attached to it. There was no informational sign, so I initially thought this small complex might be a residential platform. Later research revealed it to be the ruins of the Sweat Bath. This was confirmed to me when I found a drawing of a sweat bath from the pre-hispanic Codex Magliabechiano. A pre-hispanic codex is a hieroglpyphic text that is largely pictures. 

The Classic-era Maya word for sweat bath was pib' naah, meaning "oven house". The oldest sweat bath yet found dates back to 900 BC, during the Pre-Classic period. It was discovered in Belize, south of Yucatan. Sweat baths have been discovered throughout the Maya world as well as elsewhere in Mesoamerica. The Aztec name for it was temazcal. The Maya built pib' naah in ceremonial centers, such as the sacred precinct of Ek Balam. Others were built close to homes. Two gods were associated with sweat baths. The moon goddess "O" was depicted as an old woman, while an earth god called Pauahtun was shown as elderly man.

A Sweat Bath, as depicted in the Codex Magliabechiano. It consists of a rectangular structure with a tall cylindrical tower attached to it. There is a single low door on the front side. Above the door is a face, possibly representing Goddess O. The cylindrical tower is  surrounded by wavy lines indicating heat. At the tower's base, a worker feeds fuel into a fire. Below the door is a supply of faggots, ready to burn. Just inside the door is a small circle rising up with a dot in its center which represents steam. The figures on the right represent two of the most important functions of a sweat bath, healing and religion.

The squatting man at the top right is a shaman or priest. The two little symbols in front of him represent speech, probably a prayer or a ritual incantation. The two figures in the lower right are a sick man, who is reaching out for a bowl. He is teary-eyed and covered with spots. The woman is probably a curandera (healer). Steam rises from the bowl she is holding. This indicates a hot liquid, perhaps an herb broth. In addition to their religious and healing functions, sweat baths were also used by women during the birthing process and by ball players to purify themselves before a game.

The U-shaped structure above may be the base of the cylindrical heating tower. It was in this structure that volcanic stones called tezontle were heated and then sprinkled with water to create steam. The steam was channeled through an aperture into the area where the sweat bathers were gathered, while the smoke from the fire rose up and exited from the top of the tower. The naked and heavily-sweating participants sat within the rectangular structure. They swatted themselves with leaves or corn husks to open their pores. The effect of the heat and steam in this closely constricted area could create an hallucinogenic state. 

One of the other uses of the sweat bath was during the birthing process. An elderly mid-wife presided, probably acting the part of Goddess O. During the sweat bath, the pregnant woman's stomach was massaged and she was fed special foods. After the child was born, its afterbirth was buried in the floor of the sweat bath. The Maya believed that the afterbirth continued to be part of the individual. It was important to know the place where it was buried because, during an illness or other life crisis, a person could return and symbolically reconnect to his/her origin. It was seen as a way to cure illness or solve a life problem.

To the right of the main sweat bath is a separate, two-level circular structure. This is Estructura 5, which appears to have been the base of a dome-shaped version of a sweat bath. The dome would have been made of masonry, with one low door. The most likely place for the door would have been on the front side of the base (left center), facing the Acropolis. The function of the smaller circular structure on top is unclear. It may have been a seating area, or possibly where the hot tezontle rock was placed when it was ready to be sprinkled with water.

Why are there two sweat baths with completely different designs? One may simply pre-date the other. Often, the ruler of a new dynasty would decide to make his own architectural statements. Or, a popular new sweat bath style may have been imported from elsewhere. Another possibility involves a Classic era sweat bath that was recently found in Guatemala. About 600 AD, an individual was interred in its doorway, after which the whole structure was buried. Three hundred years later, at the end of the Classic era, the sweat bath was unearthed and  re-opened as a shrine. Archeologists found various burned offerings inside. 

Design of a dome-shaped sweat bath. In the top drawing, you can see how it would have been necessary to crawl through the door. The Maya believed that the doors of temples and sweat baths carried important meanings. Entering through the door symbolized being consumed by a deity, while exiting represented a re-birth. The lower drawing shows the firebox on the rear of the dome. In the drawing, the box is directly connected with the dome. However, in some cases fireboxes were separate from the sweat chamber.

When the Spanish arrived at the end of the Post-Classic period, they strongly disapproved of the native people's use of sweat baths. The Spaniard Diego Duran wrote that "mingled and naked as they are, there cannot fail to be great affronts and offense to our Lord." He and other Spaniards assumed that all sorts of sexual practices were happening inside the sweat baths. While this may have been the case in some instances, the primary purposes of purification, healing and childbirth remained. It should also be noted that the Spanish disdained baths in general and considered them unhealthy.

This small structure stands a few yards to the west of the two-level circular structure. Like the other parts of the sweat bath complex, this one lacked any informational sign. It couldn't have been another sweat bath because it is only about the size of a small closet. However, it is almost certainly related to the complex because of its proximity to the domed sweat bath. I came to the conclusion that this must be the firebox, because the domed sweat bath's circular base does not contain one. Tezontle rocks would have been heated here and then brought inside the domed structure. 

This concludes Part 4 of my Ek Balam series. I hope you have enjoyed it. If so, please leave any thoughts or questions in the Comments section below or email me directly. If you leave a question, please include your email address so that I may respond in a timely manner.

Hasta luego, Jim

 

Ek Balam Part 3 of 7: The South Plaza's Twin Temples and the Structure 10 ceremonial complex

The nearly identical Twin Temples share a common base platform. The Twin Temples stand side-by-side along the west side of Plaza Sur. Because they are almost mirror images of each other, those who excavated them called them the "Twin Temples", or simply "The Twins". The structure that we see today was built during the Late Classic era (700 AD-1000 AD). However, excavation has revealed structures from earlier periods underneath. Maya rulers usually wanted to surpass their predecessors. Consequently, their architects often built bigger, more elaborate structures over those constructed by previous dynasties. 

In this posting, I will cover the Twin Temples and the large platform called Estructura 10, which stands on the east side of Plaza Sur. These two sets of structures form the upright arms of the "U"-shaped plaza while the Oval Palace, seen in Part 2, forms the base. In addition to showing the photos, I will discuss how these structures were used by the city's ancient Maya inhabitants. For directions to Ek Balam from Valladolid, see Part 1 of this series.

Schematic showing the exterior and interior layouts of the Twin Temples. Despite the name, they are not quite identical. The difference is in the size and positioning of the two sets of stairs. The staircase on the right is very symmetrical with the rest of its temple. The staircase on the left is not quite as wide and is offset slightly to the right of center of its temple. Why the ancient architects built it this way is not clear. The two temples share a platform on their first level. Each temple has two doors and each door leads into two back-to-back rooms. Between them, the two temples have a total of eight equal-sized rooms. 

The interior corridors of each temple form crosses. A person inside a temple would have  access to all four of its rooms without needing to exit the building. Archeologists found a pair of stucco heads, one in each temple (see above). It is possible that the heads may represent the Hero Twins of Maya mythology. The facade of the temples was once decorated with painted figures made from stucco or lime mortar. Ek Balam thus differs from other cities in northern Yucatan, such as Uxmal or Chichen Itza, which were primarily decorated with carved stone.

The Twin Temples, viewed from the left (south) side. The base which the temples share is 40m (131ft) long and 17m (56ft) wide. Each temple is about 6m (20ft) tall. Above the trees in the background to the right is the top of the Acropolis. Just below it is Estructura 8, a part of the ball court. The court is quite close to the Twin Temples and this proximity is probably not coincidental. The Ball Game is a key part of the Hero Twins' myth. Unlike the ball courts at Chichen Itza and Uxmal, there are no mid-court stone rings in Ek Balam's court. However, the Twins have stone rings set in their walls, a possible reference to the game.

What we know of the Hero Twins comes largely from the Popul Vuh. It was a document covertly created by traditional Maya priests after the Conquest. This was during the suppression of Maya religious practices, which the Church denounced as "devil worship". The original Popul Vuh has not survived, but there still exists an 18th century Spanish translation. 

Due to the post-Conquest composition of the original, and possible erros in its translation, the text was long thought to be unreliable. However, when the Pre-Classic civilization of El Mirador was excavated, the carvings on its temples showed the Hero Twins story, just as it was told in the Post-Conquest Popul Vuh translation. 

The Hero Twins' myth involves the Maya Ball Game, maiz, and the Underworld. All these were central to the Maya world-view. The Hero Twins, Hunahpu and Xbalanque, were the sons of Hun Hunahpu, and the nephews of his brother Vucub Hunahpu. The father and uncle were avid Ball Game players, but their noise disturbed the Lords of Xibalba (the Underworld). To stop the racket, the Lords challenged them to a game on Xibalba's court. After the Lords defeated Hun Hunahpu and his brother, they were ritually decapitated. Hun Hunahpu's head was put in a tree, where it was found by Blood Moon, the daughter of one of the Lords of Death.

The decapitated head spoke to Blood Moon and spit in her palm, which impregnated her. When the Lords of Death discovered her pregnancy they decided to kill her. However, she escaped to the world above and went to the house of Xmucane, the mother of the decapitated brothers. Blood Moon told the mother that she was pregnant from Hun Hunahpu, but Xmucana didn't believe her. As a test, Xmucane told her to go to the garden and pick a netful of maiz ears. However, Blood Moon found there was only one plant. So, she magically caused the plant to produce enough ears to fill her net and was then accepted by the mother. 

Blood Moon gave birth to the Hero Twins, who grew up hearing tales of their father and uncle as great ball players. The Twins took up the game, but the noise again disturbed the Lords of Xibalba. Like their father and uncle, Hunahpu and Xbalanque were challenged to play in Xibalba. But first, they had to overcome a series of fearsome tests. In the last test, they burned up in a furnace, but regenerated themselves. This astonished the Death Lords, who demanded that a similar miracle be performed on them. The Hero Twins agreed and ritually killed the Lords of Death, but then refused to resurrect them. After returning to the world above, Hunahpu and Xabalanque rose into the sky, becoming the sun and moon.*

*This is a very abbreviated version of the myth. For a fuller version, click here.

Estructura 10: The Great Platform

A broad staircase leads up from the plaza to the top of Estructura 10s great platform. At the far end of the wall, you can see the north bastion, one of two that protrude from the two ends of the platform's west wall. Estructura 10 faces the Twin Temples across Plaza Sur and forms the eastern side of the plaza. The platform measures 5m (16ft) from the base of the plaza to its broad, flat top.

The platform was constructed in the Late Classic period (700-1000 AD) and is Plaza Sur's largest structure. It seems to have been created for large ceremonies and doesn't appear to have had any residential functions. The only decoration on the platform's walls is a cornice along the top edge made of stones, some of which are as much as one meter in length.

  

Schematic of Estructuras 10, 11, and 12. The rectangular platform measures 43m (141ft) long and 30m (98ft) wide. The dimensions of Estructura 10s platform make it the largest in Plaza Sur. However, it is dwarfed by the much larger structures in the Plaza Norte. Just beyond the top of its staircase is a small altar. On the opposite (east) side of the platform is a one-story temple. On either side of the temple are low, square-shaped mounds of rubble. 

Estructura 10's platform has two associated structures (11 and 12) on its top left (northeast) and bottom right (southwest) corners. These are actually part of the network of walls that connect various buildings that lie inside the two concentric perimeter walls that surround the whole sacred precinct. Estructura 11 connects the platform to Estructura 3, which forms the east side of Plaza Norte. Estructura 12 connects with the Oval Palace (see Part 2 of this series).

Corner of the northwest bastion. Note the size of the wall and the projecting cornice along the top. The architectural influence of the Petén region of northern Guatemala can be seen in the rounded shape of the corner. It must have taken an extraordinary effort to create this platform. First, the ground had to be leveled. Then, baskets of earth were brought to build up the platform from the plaza's surface. Next, thousands of large, heavy stones had to be carried to the site to build the walls. All this was accomplished with human energy alone and without metal tools, wheeled vehicles, or draft animals.

View of the west side of Estructura 10, its southwest bastion, and Estructura 12. The steps you see in the right center lead up to the top of Estructura 12. A sign at Ek Balam describes Estructura 12's narrow wall as "a very peculiar construction which was probably used for ceremonial purposes". The steps allow access to the top of the wall, but there are no stairs leading down the other side. The sign further stated that Estructura 12 was used for ceremonial functions or possibly as a raised space for guards to watch the access points to the site. Estructura 12 was built in three stages, all within the Late Classical period.

Estructura 10: The Ceremonial Complex atop the Platform

Model of a ceremony at a Maya temple. In the scene, the ruler has just arrived on a palanquin, carried by four servants, He is greeted by a trumpeter and various richly dressed nobles and their servants. A woman kneels with an offering at the bottom of the stairs. Near the top left side of the temple, another noble blows on a conch shell. A priest sits cross-legged in front of the small temple's door, awaiting the ruler's approach. The ceremonies conducted at Estructura 10 probably looked very much like this.

I photographed the model above at the Museum of Maya Culture in Chetumal, capital of the State of Quintana Roo, on the Caribbean side of the Yucatan Peninsula. This scene was based on the many stone carvings, painted murals, and other sources of information found at Classic-era Maya sites. It is probably as accurate a representation as could be achieved with our present knowledge of ancient Maya religious and cultural practices.

Just past the top step of the staircase, you can see the small altar and the temple. On either side of the temple are the low rubble mounds. The altar's placement is interesting. Usually altars like this are found immediately in front of a temple, or in the center of a broad space, like this platform. Coming from this direction, the altar faces east, toward the rising sun, the most sacred direction. Thus, rituals could be performed as soon as the staircase was mounted. The proximity to the top of the stairs might be explained by the need for a special ritual upon entering the platform's ceremonial area and prior to crossing over to the temple. 

On the other hand, the opposite direction (west) faces toward the Plaza Sur. The setting sun had other important religious meanings which might have required a different kind of ritual. One thing I have learned about these ancient people is that nothing was done randomly. Everything had at least one symbolic meaning and sometimes several.

The temple is on the eastern edge of the platform, which drops off steeply behind it. Unlike the walls of the platform, the temple was constructed with cut stones. The structure is only one story, but has two levels, with the upper section a bit smaller than the main body. There is only one door, which leads into a narrow hallway. In front of the door is a small stone terrace. The temple was built in the Post-Classic period (1000-1500 AD). Its size and construction are similar to the "miniature temples" found along the Caribbean Coast of Yucatan, where Post-Classic Maya culture once flourished.

I took this shot standing on the low rubble mound to the right of the temple. You can see part of the other mound in the left of the photo. I have found no explanation of the purpose of these mounds. One possibility is that they functioned as reviewing stands. This would have allowed noble spectators to watch processions as they came over the top of the staircase and approached the temple. The mounds may once have been topped by thatch-roofed structures made of wood, so that the spectators could be protected from rain or sun.  

Ancient relief carving of a Maya priest performing a ritual. He is kneeling and carries a censor (incense burner) in his left hand. The burner would have contained fragrant pom (copal incense). With his right hand, he appears to be dropping something into the space below him. The priest's whole posture suggests intense, reverent concentration. Looking at the carving, I could almost hear the rhythmic sound of drums and the mournful tone of a conch shell trumpet echoing in the background.

The figure's clothing and headgear match those of some of the figures in the model from Chetumal's Maya Museum. He wears thick bracelets on each wrist, probably of jade. Suspended on his back is a sort of pack or pouch, possibly used to carry materials necessary for his rituals. While this particular carving is not from Ek Balam, there is good reason to believe that priests looking and acting very much like this performed similar rituals on the platform of Estructura 10 and in its temple.

The temple's door opens into a short, narrow hallway. At the end of the hall is a low altar. This space was probably reserved for rituals which were considered too sacred to be performed in public. Perhaps only the ruler and the very top officials and high priests were allowed entrance. Above, you can see the carefully cut stones used to construct the temple, which are unlike the construction materials used for the platform itself.

This completes Part 3 of my Ek Balam series. I hope you have enjoyed it. If so, please leave any thoughts or questions in the Comments section below or email me directly. If you leave a question, please include your email address so that I can respond in a timely fashion.

Hasta luego, Jim

 

Ek Balam Part 2 of 7: The South Plaza's Oval Palace

The Oval Palace (Estructura 16) is the most complex building in Plaza Sur. Both Plaza Sur (South Plaza) and Plaza Norte (North Plaza) are inside the 2 concentric walls that surround the center of the city. The walls restricted access to the sacred precinct where the ruler's family, the aristocracy, and the priesthood lived and worked. Estructura 16 served residential, ceremonial and possibly astronomical purposes. The 5-level pyramid is the second tallest at Ek Balam, after the Acropolis (Estructura 1). The base is rectangular but above it, the sides and rear are curved. So, archeologists dubbed it the "Oval Palace".

Ek Balam had a long history. The area was first settled in the Pre-Classic period, around 300 BC. It was occupied well into the Post-Classic and may have been inhabited as late as the Spanish arrival in the early 16th century. Maya priests told the Spanish that Ek Balam was once the capital of the Tah Kingdom and was founded by a man named Ek Balam (or Coch Cal Balam). Beyond Maya legends, there is no evidence establishing his existence. The height of the city's power occurred in the Late Classic era (770-840 AD), during the rule of Ukit Kan Lek Tok´. He founded the Talol (or Tlalol) dynasty and is an historical figure. 

For directions to Ek Balam from Valladolid, see part 1 of this series.

Overview

Site map showing the various structures within the double perimeter walls. Plaza Sur is the "U"-shaped cluster of buildings near the bottom. The Oval Palace is at the base of Plaza Sur. The left arm of the U is formed by the Twin Temples (Estructura 17) and the right arm by a ceremonial platform called Estructura 10. 

While the the area within the walls is about 1.2 sq km (.75 sq mi), the whole city once covered 12 sq km (7.5 sq mi). Serious archeological digs at Ek Balam only began in the 1990s. Since then only about 10% of the overall city has been excavated. Almost all of that has been in the sacred precinct, but even in that area, there is still much to be discovered.  Estructura 2, the very large mound of rubble on the west side of Plaza Norte, has had almost no excavation. About 1/3 of the Acropolis is still un-excavated.

Sacbé 2 leads to a ceremonial gate on the south side of Ek Balam. Sacbé translates as "white road". Sacbeob (the plural) are raised roads paved with lime. Some of them were scores, or even hundreds, of kilometers long. The square gate sits on top of three stepped levels, with arched entrances on all four sides. The east and west sides have steps, while the north and south sides have ramps. Above, I am standing on the east side stairs. This gate is the most important of the five entrances to the perimeter walls. Spectacular processions once passed through here, including religious parades and visits by neighboring rulers. 

The four arches are believed to be associated with the four cardinal directions, which were very important to ancient Maya architects. In fact, the orientation of all the structures within the sacred precinct follows this pattern. Usually the most important directions in Maya cities (and elsewhere in Mesoamerica) are east and west. That is the path the sun takes from its rise to its setting. However, north and south are the most important directions at Ek Balam. For example, processions entered this gate from the south, and the Oval Palace faces north. It is not clear why the city's rulers and their architects made this unusual choice. 

The Oval Palace

The front of the Oval Palace, viewed from Plaza Sur. The rectangular base has 10 rooms, located on three of its sides. Two of the doors to these rooms can be seen above, one on either side of the bottom of the stairs. The second level has one room on either side of the staircase. The stairs narrow as they rise to the top level, which contains a small temple. The curved sides and rear of the upper levels indicate that the Oval Palace's temple may have been used for celestial observations. Similarly curved structures, like the one at Chichen Itza called "the Observatory", are believed to have been used for astronomical purposes.

The Tah dynasty, founded by Ek Balam ("Black Jaguar"), was followed by a dynastic family called Cupul. Again, it was centuries later that Maya priests recounted this story to early Spanish investigators. How and why this change in dynasty happened is unclear and it may only be a legend. What we do know for sure is that the architecture here is a mixture of ancient styles, including Petén (Guatemala's lowlands), Chenes and Rio Bec (southern Yucatan Peninsula), and Puuc (northwestern Yucatan). Architectural style changes usually came about through trade contacts or foreign dynastic takeovers (peaceful or otherwise). 

View of the Oval Palace from the southwest. Above, you can see the curved sides of the upper levels, as well as the doorways of four of the ten base-level rooms on the west and south sides of the building. The low wall in the foreground is not part of the two concentric perimeter walls. In addition to the outer ring walls, there are several others that connect structures within the sacred precinct, further inhibiting access to any but the elite. The wall above connects the  Oval Palace with the entrance arch.

Unlike Mesoamerican civilizations like Teotihuacán, the Toltecs, or the Aztecs, the Maya were never unified in what might be described as an "empire". Instead, their world was a collection of warring city-states, more like that of Classical Greece. The more powerful states did exert influence over lesser city-states, but this was always a very fluid situation. During Ek Balam's long history, it was a contemporary of many famous Maya city-states, like Edzna, Uxmal, Chichen Itza, and Mayapan. In fact, the architectural styles at Ek Balam appear to have influenced other cities, Chichen Itza in particular.

Interior of one of the rooms. Rooms in ancient Maya elite architecture tend to be long and narrow. The ceiling were constructed as "corbel" vaults. They were not true arches, which Maya architects never mastered. As you can see above, a corbel vault gradually narrows as it approaches the center of the ceiling. Notice the blackened wall at the end of the room. This was probably the result of innumerable cooking fires over the centuries. Food would have been prepared on a griddle called a comal, supported by a trio of rocks with an open fire underneath. Lacking a chimney or windows, the room would have been pretty smokey.

Although the room above looks pretty bleak today, it would once have contained a colorful array of cloth goods, pottery, and other furnishings. The cloth would have been made from cotton  in a variety of colors using mollusk dyes and decorated with embroidery, feathers, and pearls. Beautifully woven baskets would have been placed on the floor or suspended from cords of maguey fiber. Pottery was used for daily needs but also for display. In noble houses, it would have been artfully crafted and richly decorated with paint. 

Ceramic censer used to burn copal incense during various rites and ceremonies. This lovely little piece was crafted with a long handle that ends in a snake head. It is not only a functional object but also highly decorative. The openings around the bowl's sides allow the free flow of air to keep the copal burning. I found this piece among other artifacts in the San Roque Regional Museum in Valladolid. There is no on-site museum at Ek Balam, so the one in Valladolid is the best local place to find such artifacts.

Copal sap was used by the ancient Maya and other Mesoamerican civilizations for thousands of years. Many modern indigenous shamans still use it. The word copal comes from Nahuatl, the language of the Aztecs. The Maya called it pom and considered the sap to be "the blood of trees". They believed that when the sun, moon and stars arrived on earth, they brought pom with them. The sap is collected from the tropical Buerseraceae (torchwood) plant. Copal/pom was not only used for incense, but as a binder for pigments in Maya murals, for making jewelry with the "lost wax" technique, and as chewing gum.

Some of the rooms have raised platforms for sleeping or sitting. The platforms would have been covered by reed mats and cloth for comfort and warmth. Only the elite lived in rooms like this. The commoners would have lived in mud-and-wattle huts with thatched roofs, outside the sacred precinct. Most of the daily life for both nobles and commoners would have occurred outdoors, except during inclement weather. The various terraces, platforms and steps of the structures within the sacred precinct would have been where the nobles spent their leisure time socializing with one another.

Maya nobles were known as almehenob and filled a variety of roles. These included priests, government officials, court officers, scribes, tribute collectors, military leaders, and administrators. Their positions were hereditary and there were strict distinctions between the nobility and the commoners. These included not only Ek Balam's perimeter walls, but skull deformation of children so that nobles actually looked different than commoners. A noble's diet was similar to that of the commoners, but included more meat and special foods. They drank chocolate, (KaKaWa (cacao)) a beverage too expensive for the lower classes.

View of Plaza Sur and the Twin Temples from one of the Oval Palace's front rooms. The Twin Temples are on the immediate left, while Estructura 8 (part of the ball game court) can be seen in the distance. Beyond the trees in the distance are Plaza Norte and the Acropolis (Estructura 1). Rooms in ancient Maya architecture seldom had windows, so the only natural light is through the door. Consequently these interior spaces would have primarily been used at night or during inclement weather or when some level of privacy was required.

The Oval Palace was built during the rule of Ukit Kan Lek Tok´, apparently as a residence for his nobility. He built the Acropolis in Plaza Norte for himself. It is not clear whether the Oval Palace was constructed before or after the Acropolis. If it was before, he might have used it as temporary housing while supervising the work on the massive palace complex that became the Acropolis. If celestial observation was part of the function of the temple on top of the Oval Palace, it is likely that some of the residents were priest-astronomers. One of their key responsibilities was using the stars to predict planting and harvesting times.

The bones of a child were found during excavation of the Oval Palace. They had been placed in a vase or pot and then covered by a plate. The careful treatment of the remains suggests that they were not part of a sacrifice, although child sacrifice was not uncommon in Mesoamerica. Instead, it is likely that this was the child of one of the elite families living in the Oval Palace.  In addition, the condition and arrangement of the bones suggests this was a secondary burial, meaning the child was buried somewhere else first and then the bones were de-fleshed and re-interred in the Oval Palace.

In the Maya world, elite tombs were usually placed inside temples or other important buildings. Therefore, it would not be unusual to find this child's remains within the Oval Palace. Sometimes, the bones of one person would be moved aside so that another set of remains could be buried in the same tomb. In a later posting, I will show you the spectacular tomb of Ukit Kan Lek Tok´, located on the fourth level of the Acropolis.

Metate, mano, and other tools of daily life. The metate is the stone trough in which maiz (corn) was ground using the roller-shaped mano. The two stone objects near the base of the metate appear to be cutting tools. A bone awl is to the right of the the cutting tools. Maiz was fundamental to ancient Mesoamerican life. It was domesticated from a wild plant called teocinte (or teocintle) about 9,000 years ago. This probably occurred in the Valle de Rio Balsas, in the modern state of Guerrero, Mexico. Maiz was first cultivated by the Maya about 6,500 years ago. 

Large scale maiz production enabled the development of a high level of civilization in Mesoamerica. The grain was inextricably intertwined with all aspects of life, culture, myths and religion. In fact, maiz had its own god, called Hun Nal Yeh (or, alternatively, Yum Kaax). In contrast to some of the other gods, he was portrayed as youthful, smooth faced, and vigorous. He also ruled the forests that surrounded the Maya city-states and represented abundance and prosperity. All this made the maiz god an important figure in the Maya cosmos.

The completes Part 2 of my Ek Balam series. I hope you have enjoyed it. If so, please leave an thoughts or questions in the Comments section below or email me directly. If you leave a question, please include your email address, so that I can respond in a timely manner.

Hasta luego, Jim

 

Ek Balam Part 1 of 7: An ancient Maya metropolis in northern Yucatan

An exquisitely carved statue decorates the tomb of one of Ek Balam's rulers. The statue wears the attire of a highly-placed member of Ek Balam's Classic-era aristocracy. The jewelry on the wrists and ankles represents jade, one of the most precious stones of the ancient Mesoamerican world. The necklace and ear spools would also have been jade. The upper body is naked except for an elaborate head dress and a feathered cloak which spreads out from the shoulders. The mid-section is covered by a garment resembling an embroidered kilt.  Hanging over the groin is a pouch decorated with a grinning face.

This posting is the first of a seven-part series on the ancient Maya city of Ek Balam ("Black Jaguar"). The ruins are less than 1/2 hour drive north of Valladolid and we visited them during our stay there. However, since Ek Balam can also be easily reached from Cancun or Mérida, I decided to present this as a stand-alone series. Part 1 will be an overview of the major features of the city, while the following six parts will show each of these features in detail.

Overview

Google map showing the route from central Valladolid to Ek Balam. The distance from Vallolid's central plaza to the ruins is 27.8km (17.2mi). Proceed north on Highway 295 about 20km to a right-angle intersection with a small hotel on the corner. About 100m before this intersection there is a large sign on the right which points toward Tizmin and Rio Lagartos, but makes no mention of Ek Balam. Be alert for this intersection with its hotel when you have traveled approximately 20km from Valladolid. 

About 100m after you turn right, there is a sign pointing toward Z. A. (Zona Arqueologica) Ek Balam. After about 5km, you come to a four-way intersection. A left takes you to the modern pueblo of Ek Balam, while a right goes to the pueblo of Santa Rita. Instead, head straight into the Zona Arqueológica. Follow the road about 2km to the large parking area. A short trail from there will take you to the beginning of the ruins. 

One of several iguanas that we encountered in the ruins. While I am not certain, this may be one of the Black Spiny-Tailed species (Ctenosaura similis). The Yucatan Peninsula and Central America abound with many different iguana species. The ones I have encountered are almost always totally unconcerned by the approach of humans. They usually remain completely still while I take my photo, almost as if they are posing. Despite their languid appearance, this species is the fastest lizard on the planet and can reach speeds of 21mph, if threatened. They like places where they can bask or hide in rocky crevices, if frightened.

The mouth of a chultun, which once stored water for Ek Balam's inhabitants. I found it near the Acropolis (Estructura 1). A chultun  is a man-made water storage chamber shaped like a globular pot with a neck that narrows to a circular opening at ground level. Chultunes were carved into the thick limestone sheet which lies just below the soil. The opening for this one looks big enough for a man to squeeze through and then move around inside. Once carved into the desired shape, the inside walls were made watertight with lime plaster. 

Northern Yucatan has no natural water sources other than rainfall and the limestone sinkholes called cenotes. To solve this problem, chultunes were invented by ancient Maya hydraulic engineers to help expand the available water supply. Rain running off nearby structures was channeled to an opening like this so that the water could be stored for use in dry periods. Smaller chultunes had a capacity of 7,500 gallons (enough for 25 people). Some were much larger, however, with capacities ranging from 16,000 to 110,000 gallons. 

A Maya welcoming committee, as they would have appeared in the early 16th century. 

Unlike the statue in the first photo, the men above are warriors, dressed for battle, not for style. They are naked except for loincloths and light capes over their shoulders. Two of their capes are fringed with large animal teeth, possibly jaguar fangs. The two warriors on the left carry wood-handled weapons, set with razor-sharp obsidian blades. All four are decorated with intricate tattoos (possibly temporary), which symbolize strength, spiritual power, social status, and possibly membership in a warrior clan.

The first Spanish encounter with the Maya was peaceful. In 1502, one of Christopher Columbus' ships encountered a large, sea-going Maya canoe in the Caribbean Sea. However, when the Spanish began exploring the coasts of the Yucatan Peninsula in 1517, they met fierce resistance. Serious efforts to conquer Yucatan did not begun until 1542, twenty years after the conquest of the Aztecs. The last Maya stronghold did not fall until 1697. The Aztecs managed to hold out for about 2 years, but the Maya lasted for 180! Sporadic revolts in the Yucatan continued over the centuries, including the 67-year Caste War, which ended in 1915.

The elite ceremonial precinct of Ek Balam. This area is surrounded by two concentric sets of low walls with five entrances. There is one each on the north, east, and west sides and two on the south side. Leading to each of these entrances is a sacbé ("white road") paved with stones covered with white lime plaster. Sacbé #2 is 10m (33ft) wide and extends 190m (623ft) out from its gate. Originally, it may have been much longer. The longest sacbé in Yucatan reaches 300km (186mi) from Mérida to the Caribbean Coast. The intersection of  five sacbeob with Ek Balam is an indication of the city's political and economic power. 

A total of 45 of the city's structures have been excavated. The most important of these surround Plaza Norte (North Plaza) and Plaza Sur (South Plaza). In the map above, the Plaza Norte is shaped like an inverted "U". It is bounded on the north by the Acropolis (Estructura 1), on the west by Estructura 2, and on the east by Estructura 3. The smaller Plaza Sur is also "U" shaped (but not inverted). The Oval Palace (Estructura 16) is at its base (south side). The west side is bordered by a pair of structures called the Twin Temples (Estructura 17). The east side is formed by a large platform called Estructura 10.

Perimeter Walls and Main Entrance

Sections of the inner and outer walls. The Sacbé 2 entrance arch is in the upper left. The Oval Palace can be seen in the upper right. Archeologists have long debated the purpose of these walls. Originally, they were thought to be defensive structures and are still described this way in some tourist publications. However, although they are thick, they were never much higher than what you see above. Such low walls would not have been of much use in warding off determined attacks.

Modern archeologists now believe that the purpose of the walls was to establish boundaries and restrict entrance to the areas reserved for the city's rulers, nobility, and priesthood. The general the population would have lived in thatched huts called "nah", spread out widely over the area outside the walls. 

The main entrance (Estructura 18) to Ek Balam is through this ceremonial arch. It sits on a three-tiered platform and is approached from the Sacbé 2 by ascending the ramp seen above. A similar ramp on the north side leads down into the ceremonial area. The east and west sides also have arches, but these are approached by stairs. The architecture of this structure indicates that it was the main ceremonial entrance to the city.

View of the Sacbé 2 entrance (Estructura 18). I took this shot looking southwest from the top of the Twin Temples. Here, you can see both the ramp on the north side, as well as the east-side arch and its stairs. Although this is not one of the larger structures in Ek Balam, its unusual architecture makes it one of the most photographed. In the center left background, you can see a bit of the outer perimeter walls.

Plaza Sur

The Oval Palace (Estructura 16), viewed from the top of the Twin Temple. The structure gets its name from the sides and back of its second level, which has a the curved, oval shape. This is an elite residential building, rather than a temple, although some ceremonial activities are likely to have occurred here. An impressive staircase leads from the Plaza level up to the top of the platform, which contains a small structure. Some archeologists speculate that the Oval Palace may have had an astronomical, as well as a residential, function. There are similar curved structures at other Yucatan sites such as the "Observatory" at Chichen Itza.

The Twin Temples (Estructura 17) form the west side of Plaza Sur. These two temples face east across the Plaza toward Estructura 10. Because they are nearly identical in size and design, archeologists decided to call them "The Twins". Each of the two temples sits on a two-level platform accessed by broad staircases. Each temple has two doors and each door leads into two rooms, one behind the other, giving the Twins a total of eight rooms.

These rooms don't appear to have served as living spaces but were more likely used for religious and ceremonial purposes. Archeologists believe the Twin Temples may be related to the Hero Twins of Maya mythology. The Lords of Death in Xibalba (the underworld) challenged them to a ritual Ball Game. The Hero Twins were triumphant and, after overcoming a variety of other challenges, they were transformed into the sun and moon.

Estructura 10 faces west, toward the Twin Temples. The base of this structure is a huge, raised platform which makes up the eastern border of Plaza Sur. It is accessed by a broad staircase on its west side. A small altar is on top of the platform, near the top of the stairs. On the far side of the platform is a small temple (see above) containing another altar. The temple is flanked by two long, low, rubble mounds. 

While the little temple and the low mounds are not impressive on their own, the platform on which they sit is the largest of Plaza Sur's structures. Estructura 10 was clearly intended for large ceremonies and rituals, rather than for living quarters. The large space on top of the platform would have accommodated a sizable crowd. It is possible that the mounds served as raised viewing ares for elite spectators, sort of like the viewing stands on either side of a modern playing field.

South and east sides of Plaza Norte

The Ball Court sits a few yards to the north of the Twin Temples. Its proximity to the Twin Temples is probably not coincidental, if the archeologists are right about the Hero Twins myth. Ek Balam's Ball Court is made up of Estructura 8 (right) and Estructura 9 (left). The playing field includes the sloping areas on each structure and the narrow, rectangular space between them. 

Some ball courts, like the one at Chichen Itza, were fitted with a stone ring half-way down each side of the court. However, there are no stone rings in this court. While the game was played for thousands of years, all over Mexico and Central America, the rules differed from place to place and sometimes didn't include the rings.

The east side of the Plaza Norte is bordered by Estructura 3. This is the second largest structure at Ek Balam, in terms of the space covered. Only the Acropolis (Estructura 1), on the Plaza's north side, is larger. Estructura 3 is a low platform, measuring 110m long and 55m wide (361ft X 180ft). It is accessed by a small, 5-step staircase on its west side. In front of the stairs is a standing, two-sided rock called a stela. Sometimes a stela contains images or glyphs, but this one is unmarked. The ruins of a small temple stand in the center of the platform. Etructura 3 was likely for ceremonial rather than residential purposes.

Estructura 3 was first excavated in 1886 by the French explorer Desiré Charnay . He found "a severed head modeled in stucco with the fragments of an inscription." Charnay dug around, looking for a tomb, but found only fragments of decoration and parts of a black-painted clay figurine. More recently, archeologists found a stucco mask which may be the severed stucco head that Charnay reported. The west side of the Plaza is bordered by Estructura 2, which I didn't photograph because it was almost entirely un-excavated rubble.

  

North side of Plaza Norte

The Acropolis (Estructura 1) is the largest building in Ek Balam. It was built as a palace during the Late Classic era by the city's most powerful ruler and contains his tomb. A single, broad staircase leads six levels up to the top of the structure. Each level contains multiple rooms, some with intricate glyphs and other decorations. The tomb is decorated with exquisitely-carved stone statues of rulers and other aristocratic figures (see first photo). Some of the statues were deliberately decapitated centuries ago, probably when the city was captured by enemy forces.

A tourist carefully descends the Acropolis' wide staircase. While the steps are wide across, they are also very narrow. This makes them somewhat dangerous, particularly when descending. Over the years tourists have occasionally been injured or even killed from falls down stairs like these. Once you start to tumble, it would be very difficult to stop yourself. 

As a result, the Mexican government has prohibited climbing on some ancient ruins, including the stairs of the famous El Castillo, or Pyramida de Kukulkan, in Chichen Itza. Fortunately, these prohibitions were not in place when we visited Ek Balam, although this may since have changed. If you are fortunate enough to be able to climb up a pyramid or temple, please be extremely careful, particularly when descending.

This completes Part 1 of my Ek Balam series. I hope you have enjoyed it. If so, please leave any thoughts or questions in the Comments section below or email me directly. If you leave a question, please include your email address so that I can respond promptly.

Hasta luego, Jim