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