Ek Balam Part 7 of 7: The spectacular tomb of Ek Balam's greatest ruler

Two "Warrior Angels" adorn the facade of the ruler's tomb. The tomb of Ukit Kan Lek Tok' is on the fourth level of the Acropolis. It wasn't discovered until the beginning of the 21st century because it had been deliberately covered over by the ancient Maya. In fact, serious archeological excavations at Ek Balam itself didn't begin until the mid-1990s. The tomb's facade contains several other statues, some intact and some beheaded, but all were carved with equal artistry. Along with the statues are numerous hieroglyphs and other decorations. The tomb's interior contained thousands of artifacts.

In this final part of my Ek Balam series, I will focus on the tomb, its exquisite stucco statues, and the meaning behind some of its decorations. Ukit Kan Lek Tok' was described as a "foreigner" on glyphs found at Ek Balam. He probably came from southern Yucatan, bringing with him the Rio Bec and Chenes styles of art and architecture. He founded the Talol dynasty in 770 AD and probably died around 802 AD. His dynasty lasted 100 years, until 870 AD. During Ukit Kan Lek Tok's rule, he built Ek Balam's Acropolis and also constructed many of the other important structures within the city. 

The entrance of Tomb is through the mouth of the Witz Monster

The tomb is located on the west side of the Central Staircase on the fourth level. A hieroglyph painted on the capstone just inside the door names the tomb Sak Xok Naah (translated as "White House of Respect" or "White House of Reading"). Large panels of hieroglyphs decorated the walls on either side of the main door. The terrace in front of the main door has fangs, making it look like the lower jaw of a monster. More fangs line both sides of the door and the area above it. The base of the terrace is lined with stylized fish and lillies, an important symbolic link to water. There are two staircases, one on either side. 

The city of Ek Balam contains a mix of archeological styles from various regions of the Maya world. These include Petén (northern Guatemala), Puuc (northwestern Yucatan), and Rio Bec (southern Yucatan Peninsula). The monster fangs and ornate hieroglyphic designs are features of the Chenes style. This style flourished in the central lowlands of the Yucatan Peninsula from 600 AD-800 AD and geographically overlaps the Rio Bec style. The fact that the Chenes style was used on Ukit Kan Lok Tek's tomb strongly suggests he may have been from that area. 

View of the tomb's fangs and hieroglyphic panels. The Warrior Angels can be seen in the upper right corner. To the right of the main door is another, smaller one. A similar door can be seen to the left of the main door in the previous photo. The area around the main door was constructed to resemble the face of a monster, with two eyes, a nose, and a lower jaw with jutting teeth. The open door is the gaping mouth. All this wasn't just whimsey, but represents the face of an important mythical figure that the Maya called the Witz Monster. 

The Witz Monster, also known as the Earth Monster, was the personification of mountains, caves with water, and the world of the dead (Xibalba). The Witz Monster was also connected with maiz and was sometimes portrayed with an ear of maiz sprouting from its head. Caves were often important water sources, creating another link to the Witz Monster. Finally, caves were believed to be entrances to Xibalba. The face of a Chenes-style Witz Monster would therefore have been an appropriate facade for the tomb of a king from the Chenes region. 

The room on the right side of the tomb was built to resemble a Maya hut, called a nah. Many rural Maya still live in huts shaped like this. A traditional nah is constructed with upright sticks covered with mud, with a thatched roof. The style is called wattle-and-daub. Images of a Maya nah are displayed in a variety of elite Maya structures. An example of this can be found at the Nun's Quadrangle at Uxmal. I remain puzzled as to why an imitation of a commoner's hut would appear next to the royal tomb of Ek Balam's High King, or as a decoration on the wall of an elite palace at Uxmal. 

The stucco roof of the imitation nah contains another monster face. The projection in the middle is the nose, with a row of teeth below. The eyes are in the upper corners of the rectangular structure from which the nose projects. Although it is all quite abstract, if you look closely you can make it out. The purpose of this room is not clear, but it may have been constructed to contain the remains of the ruler's relatives. Another possibility is that priests used it to store clothing and other items used in religious ceremonies, similar to a sacristy in a Catholic church.  

The left side of the temple has a similar nah-shaped room. In addition to its front entrance, there is another on the side. The decorative roof seen on the right-side structure is absent from this one. It may have been destroyed during a partial collapse of the upper levels of the Acropolis. The tomb and its two adjacent rooms were deliberately filled with rubble and buried by the Maya some time after the ruler was placed inside. During the following century, the rooms were re-opened and inscriptions were added. Then the tomb complex was re-buried. This process of burial, re-opening, and re-burial was repeated several times.

Glyphs on left side of the tomb's main door. A similar large panel can be found on the right side of the door. Unfortunately, I have not been able to find any information about their meaning. The symbols on the two panels are almost identical. However, their arrangement on the two panels are reverse mirror images of each other. Notice the monster face on the right center of the photo. There is a matching face on the right side of the main door. There has been some debate over what mythical figures these faces represent.

A monstrous face decorates the left hieroglyphic panel next to the tomb's door. Some sources say this represent the Witz Monster. Other sources claim that it is the Maiz God. Both of these mythical figures are associated with maiz. My vote, for what it is worth, is for the Witz Monster. The face above has glaring eyes, an open mouth, and large teeth, all typical of the Witz Monster. It also has an ear of corn growing out of the top of its head, another typical aspect. 

The Maiz God images that I have seen show him as a handsome young man with a smooth, attractive face. He is sometimes portrayed carrying maiz ears in his hands or in a pouch on his back, but never growing out of his head. Given that this is a tomb, representing the entrance to the underworld, I believe that the two faces bracketing the tomb's entrance must represent smaller versions of the Witz Monster. 

The tomb's exquisite statues

One of the Warrior Angels stands on the upper right corner of the facade. The two life-sized statues were given this name because of the supposed "wings" sprouting out of their backs. However, I doubt that these actually represent wings. It is more likely that they are feathered cloaks. There is nothing that I could find in Maya mythology about supernatural winged figures in human shape. The concept of angels was not introduced until the Spanish arrived, 700 years after these statues were carved.

The youthful male figure above represents a member of Ek Balam's top nobility. In life, elaborate head dress would have been made of a combination of feathers and paper. The figure wears expensive jade jewelry, including a pendant, ear spools, bracelets, and anklets. His clothing includes an embroidered loincloth and a wide belt that resembles a ball player's protective gear, called a yoke. On the yoke are a series of Xs, symbolizing the divine source of a ruler's power. Hanging over the groin is a pouch that reminds me of the sporran worn with a kilt in Scotland. The pouch is decorated with a grinning human face.

A second Warrior Angel stands a short distance to the left. This statue has an interesting haircut that might actually be a close-fitting cap. Note the statue's elongated skull. Noble parents deliberately shaped the skulls of their infant children in this way in order to mark them as aristocrats. The figure wears a necklace and bracelets of jade. The garment around the hips has dots that may represent the markings on a jaguar's pelt.  Around the waist is another ballplayer' yoke, also decorated with Xs. The figure gazes off to the right, in a posture that suggests a readiness to spring into action. 

Aside from the beautifully-preserved artistry of these statues, I was fascinated with them because they capture a moment in  time. They show, in considerable detail, how the local people (or at least the nobility) saw themselves. It is almost like having a time machine capable of bringing these ancient, long-forgotten people to life. The statues and other images of pre-hispanic people all too often feel stylized and over-decorated. The figures here appear ready to come to life before my eyes.

A headless statue of Ukit Kan Lok Tek' sits directly above the Witz Monster's mouth. The Kalo'mte (High King) occupies a throne above the main door of the tomb. Feathered "wings" spread out on either side. The statue's head and left arm are missing, probably due to the collapse of the wall above. The wide belt resembles a ball player's protective gear and the spherical object near the left foot may be a ball. This suggests that Ukit Kan Lok Tek' was a participant in ball games himself, as well as a sponsor. The face attached to the belt may represent the severed head of a defeated ball game opponent.

When the tomb was opened, archeologists found the ruler's remains, along with more than 7,000 grave goods. These included 21 ceramic and alabaster vessels, as well as a gold frog, jewels of jade and pearl, and shells carved into skulls. Other grave goods were made of flint, bone, and pyrite. In the ruler's hand was a human femur bone. Hieroglyphs on it identified the bone as belonging to Ukit Ahkan, a priest who was the ruler's father. The femur had been carved to a point on one end and may have been used for auto-sacrifice (ritual blood letting). It was not unusual for the Maya to use of the bones of relatives in this way. 

A graceful figure sits casually in the corner of the Witz Monster's left eye. The naturalism in this sculpture is striking. Although Maya sculptors sometimes stylized their depictions of human forms, they are also renowned for their naturalism. The young man above sits with his hand resting on his knee. The other hand extends across his chest, with the fingers casually wrapped around his upper arm. The eyes of his turned head appear to be watching a game being played in the Ball Court below. A modern viewer can instantly relate to this very recognizable human figure.

Within the tomb is another painted capstone. On it, Ukit Kan Lek Tok' is portrayed as the Maiz God, deity of the plant that made pre-hispanic civilizations possible. The interesting thing about this painting is that it shows the High King with a deformed upper lip. This is very unusual, both because he was the ruler and because the Maiz God is normally portrayed as a beautiful young man. In fact, when the ruler's skull was examined, scientists discovered that he had suffered from a disease of the maxillary area. The ancient artist chose--or was allowed--to show him as he was in real life, not as an idealized version.

The corner of the Witz Monster's right eye contains another very natural figure. The headless statue of a young Maya noble sits erect and cross-legged. The clothing, particularly the yoke/belt, suggests yet another ball player. A pendant containing a small face hangs from his neck. Notice the fine details of his hands and feet. I can even make out what appears to be a toenail on the left foot. This statue was apparently another victim of a long-forgotten structural collapse. 

The gold frog found in Ukit Kan Lek Tok's tomb presents an interesting question: where did the gold come from? There were virtually no sources of gold in the Maya area. The nearest sources were in what is now Panama and Costa Rica, or in Central Mexico. The presence of gold in northern Yucatan illustrates the importance of Mesoamerica's long-distance trade networks. Jade was valued even more than gold. Most jade was imported from the Valle Rio Motagua in southern Guatemala, also a long way from Ek Balam. One heavily used trade route was by seagoing canoe along the Caribbean coast from South and Central America.

This statue stands at the far left of the tomb's facade. The head, left forearm, and the entire right arm are all missing. Dangling from the neck is a jade necklace. Around the waist is a ball player's yoke containing Xs. Around the hips is a dotted jaguar pelt. The belt that holds up the pelt appears to be made from large pieces of jade. Dangling in front of the groin is another "sporran" pouch. The upper chest and shoulders are covered by a light, fringed garment. 

Most of the statues on the tomb's facade have certain things in common. All, except for the High King, are slim, athletic-looking young men. All--including the High King--wear a ballplayer's yoke and seem to be associated with the Ball Game. Several of the yokes contain the Xs that represent the divine power of the ruler. The jaguar-pelt hip coverings would only have been allowed for those belonging to the nobility. 

A ruler sits cross-legged on his throne, with his lap covered by an embroidered cloth. The identity of this figure is unknown, but he is clearly royalty. While the statue is located on the same level as the tomb, it sits several meters to the east. In this case, the lack of a head may be deliberate rather than accidental. When an ancient Maya city was conquered, it was standard practice to not only sacrifice the defeated ruler, but also to decapitate or otherwise deface statues and other images of him. 

The figure above wears a jade necklace with a wide collar under it. Around the waist is another wide belt. However, this one does not resemble a ballplayer's yoke and the stone is too worn to tell if there are any Xs. The right hand clutches an object which may be a symbol of power. My best guess is that this is a statue of one of Ukit Kan Lek Tok's dynastic successors.

This completes Part 7 of my Ek Balam series and the series itself. 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 6 of 7: Temples and hieroglyphs on the Acropolis

 

The Acropolis contains several temples. This view is from the Central Staircase toward the end of the 3rd level of the east wing. The trees in the background are in the middle of Plaza Este, (East Plaza). This plaza is located on the eastern end of the immense platform on which the Acropolis sits. The temple on the left of the photo has hieroglyphic panels on its inside back wall. A staircase separates this temple from another just beyond, which is covered by a thatched palapa. Notice the passageway under the staircase. Such passageways are examples of the influence of the Puuc architectural style found in northwest Yucatan. 

In this posting, I will focus on some of the temples that were built on the six levels of the Acropolis. I'll also show you some of the many hieroglyphs discovered at Ek Balam in the 1990s and 2000s. Translations of some of these hieroglyphs have provided valuable information about Ek Balam's history between 770 AD and 870 AD. This period, known as the Late Classic era, was when the Acropolis was constructed, along with other major structures like the Oval Palace, the Twin Temples, and the Ball Court. For directions to Ek Balam from Valladolid, see Part 1 of this series.

Overview

The layout of the Acropolis. This drawing was made during excavations between 1998 and 2002 by two Mexican archeologists, Leticia Vargas de la Peña and Victor Castillo Borges. Before Vargas and Castillo began their work, little had been done beyond the mapping of Ek Balam. The discoveries they made astonished the archeological world and greatly elevated Ek Balam's importance.

As you can see above, the excavated/reconstructed parts of the Acropolis include the areas around the Central Staircase, the Plaza Oeste (West Plaza), and the ten rooms along the south side of the base platform. The areas that are still un-excavated are Plaza Este (East Plaza) on the east end of the platform and the area to the north of the top of the Central Staircase. There have probably been more excavations and more discoveries since this map was created.

Temples of the Acropolis

On the back wall of this temple, you can see blocks of stone-carved glyphs. The shot is a detail of the temple seen in the first photo. Unfortunately, a barrier prevented me from getting closer. The large number of temples on the Acropolis, as well as the high social status of priests, suggests that some of them must have lived in the Acropolis' 60+ rooms. Ukit Kan Lek Tok' ("Father of the Four Flint Faces") was the founder of the Talol dynasty and the greatest ruler of Ek Balam. While his mother was of royal lineage, his father, Ukit Ahkan, may have been a priest. Ukit Kan Lek Tok' ruled from 770 AD to 802 AD.

Ukit Kan Lek Tok' probably came from the Rio Bec region of southern Yucatan. Ek Balam was only a modest settlement at that time. Many of the great architectural monuments we see today were built during his rule. A smaller building once stood where the Acropolis is now, but it was half as tall and only two thirds as wide. Ukit Kan Lek Tok' launched an extensive building campaign, during which the Acropolis was constructed over top of the smaller building. He also built the Oval Palace and several other major structures. However, the Ball Court was not completed until 841 AD, 39 years after the dynasty's founder died. 

View from the Central Staircase toward the west end of the 2nd level. There are a total of 9 rooms of various lengths along this level, each with one door and no windows. Due to the use of corbel arches, all the rooms are of approximately the same width. The doorways are surprisingly low, even considering the ancient peoples' short heights. The thatched palapas are to protect the glyphs from the elements. Directly below the terrace are the five ground-level rooms on the west wing which were shown in the previous posting.

All of Ukit Kan Lek Tok's dynastic successors left glyphic texts or images that referred to him, often reverently. One text dated, January 8, 814 AD, referred to Ukit Kan Lek Tok' as a "foreign king" who had arrived at Ek Balam forty-four years earlier (770 AD,  the year he took the throne). Another successor, named Kihnich Junpik Tok' K'uh, erected a stela on January 18, 840 AD to commemorate his own accession to the throne. The stela pictures him, but also includes a smaller image of a figure seated on a celestial throne. Text next to the figure says "This is the image of the sacred Kalo'mte' (High King) Ukit Kan Lok Tek'."

Another small temple is located next to the Central Staircase on the west wing. This one is also on the 3rd level. It appears to be the twin of the temple shown in the first photo of this posting. This one lacks only the thatched palapa. I didn't photograph the inside wall, so I don't know if this one also has carved stone hieroglyphic texts, but I wouldn't be surprised. Both the temples have steps that are very steep and narrow. However, there aren't many, so the staircase would probably not be difficult to climb.

The priests associated with these temples were either the offspring of priests or the second sons of nobles. The priesthood was therefore an hereditary position. Novices were trained in reading and writing Maya script and in understanding the Maya calendar. A key part of that calendar related to the proper times to plant or harvest crops. They also learned how to conduct public and private rituals, including sacrifices related to festival days. However, those priests who carried out human sacrifices held a relatively low status. A more influential role was that of chilam (oracular priest), who made prophesies.

A selection of the Acropolis' hieroglyphs

Hieroglyphic Serpent on the west side of the Central Staircase. I showed you the Hieroglyphic Serpent on the east side of the Staircase in the previous posting. The two Serpents are almost identical. However, the head of this snake is worn and somewhat indistinct, while the east side version is still relatively sharp. By contrast, the twelve glyphs on the tongue of the east side Serpent are worn, while the ones above are still mostly readable.

In the Maya Classic era, there was not a distinct line between a ruler and the priesthood. Maya rulers had many priestly functions and viewed the kingship as a sacred institution. They sometimes served in temples, fasted, prayed, made burnt offerings, and presided at major religious festivals. The legitimacy of rulers was based on their claimed descent from the gods and their ability to act as intermediaries with the divine universe. The capstone over the entrance of Ukit Kan Lek Tok's tomb portrays him as the Maiz God. This was the god of the all-important maiz crop, but also of resurrection and rebirth and the cycle of life.

The Hieroglyphic Serpent's tongue. (drawing by Alfonso Lacadena Garcia-Gallo). The glyphs on the tongue have been partially transcribed to say "It is...the sculpture of the Win Uh, which is the name of the stairway of Kalo'mte' Ukit Kan Kek Tok', sacred king of Talol". The king's name is spelled out in the glyphs on the second from the bottom set. The left glyph on the bottom row is the Emblem Glyph for Ek Balam. Emblem glyphs are symbols identifying royalty, in this case the Talol dynasty, for whom Ek Balam was the capital city. 

Itzamna was the highest-level god within the Maya cosmos and was especially revered by their priests. Other deities that were  important to priests included the Howler Monkey Gods and the Maiz God. These appear in the myth of the Hero Twins covered in Part 3 of this series. An important part of the Hero Twins story was the creation of human beings and the gift of maiz to them. The Maya understood that the world moves in celestial, seasonal, and life cycles. Understanding and interpreting these cycles were important jobs for the priesthood.

The entrance of the temple behind the Hieroglyphic Serpent also contains glyphs. This temple matches the one on the other side of the base of the Central Stairway. The two temples, along with the Serpent monuments in front of them, were constructed after the Acropolis was remodeled. This project included the Central Stairway and the row of ten rooms along the south side's ground level. As stated previously, this temple, along with its twin, may be related to Xibalba (the underworld) because serpents are important symbols of that realm.

About 5,000 texts have been discovered throughout the Maya world. Most were written on stone monuments or ceramic vessels during the Classic period (200 AD-900 AD). About 500 hieroglyphic symbols were widely used, with another 500 used only at a given period of time or in a given location. The Maya texts were not deciphered until the last half of the 20th century. This decipherment revolutionized our understanding of Maya history and culture. Until then, the Maya were believed to be peaceful star-gazers. It turned out that they were just as inclined to warfare and human sacrifice as any of the other Mesoamerican cultures.

Large sections of glyphs can be found in many places on the Acropolis. The earliest texts found anywhere in the Maya world are from the 3rd century BC. The latest were written in the 16th century, during the Spanish conquest. However, Maya scribes may have continued using the ancient texts until the fall of the last independent Maya city-state of Tayasal. It was not conquered by the Spanish until 1697. Very few paper texts survived the Conquest because Spanish Bishop Diego de Landa burned the vast Maya libraries in 1562. Most of the surviving 5000 texts had been carved in stone and often found in remote locations. 

Some hieroglyphs painted on stone have been discovered at Ek Balam. Almost all of these were found in the Acropolis' temples and in the tomb of Ukit Kan Kek Tok'. One of temples on the Acropolis' east side has an extraordinary series of 96 glyphs set in three parallel horizontal rows. They survived the ravages of time and weather because they were deliberately covered over by the ancient Maya. Archeologists were astonished to find the texts when the rooms were excavated. I didn't have an opportunity to photograph the painted texts, but you can view them here. 

Detail from the previous photo of hieroglyphs.. I found this particular glyph in two places in the photo, as well as in my photos of other texts. A series of ten dots surround three sides of the glyph. The Maya used three numerical symbols. A dot represented 1, a horizontal bar represented 5, and a shell shape represented 0. However, I am not certain these dots are numerical, because the ancient people generally arranged the dots and bars horizontally. Only the top four dots are horizontal in the glyph above.

The Acropolis' Plaza Oeste

A temple with a broad staircase stands on the north side of Plaza Oeste. This plaza is located on the western end of the Acropolis platform's second level. A similar, un-excavated plaza called Plaza Este stands on the eastern end. In the right corner of the photo is a broad staircase that descends from one of the upper levels of the Acropolis into Plaza Oeste. I took this photo, as well as the following two, from the fourth level of the Acropolis. However,  lack of time prevented me from exploring this area. The Acropolis is huge and I confess that I only scratched the surface.

A line of dwellings stretches along the western edge of the plaza. These may appear to be on the ground level, but are actually located along the top of the massive west-end wall (Part 5). According to the site map drawn by archeologists Leticia Vargas and Victor Castillo, there are five dwellings in this line of structures. These were likely the homes of members of the extended royal family or possibly of nobles, priests, or high-status functionaries. In the middle of this rather over-grown plaza, you can see a large, stone-lined pit. 

This is the large pit seen in the previous photo. It is shaped like an inverted cone, and lined with cut stones. I couldn't see the bottom of it from my perch on the fourth level, but it appeared quite deep. I estimate it to be about 10m (30ft) across. The pit's size and prominent location in the center of the plaza suggest a significant function in the ceremonies conducted here. As I have mentioned before, the Maya didn't do things randomly when it came to the placement of their public structures. It is not clear whether a similar pit exists in Plaza Este, but given the overall symmetry of the Acropolis, I would not be surprised.

This completes Part 6 of my Ek Balam series. The 7th, and final, part will focus on the tomb of Ukit Kan Lek Tok', and its amazingly well-preserved statues and glyphs. I hope you have enjoyed Part 6. 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 manner.

Hasta luego, Jim