Ek Balam
Tuesday, March 14, 2006
This amazing decorative plaster work is on the outside of a tomb built in the side of a pyramid. It has survived intact because it was walled off by the Mayans shortly after it was built. Artifacts from the tomb are in a museum in Mérida. This is at the ruins of Ek Balam.
Ek Balam is not overrun with tourists. Here is a photograph of the parking lot.
The pyramid with the tomb and the plaster figures is protected from the elements by a thatched roof.
The ranger who gave us a tour said that most of Ek Balam has not been excavated, due to a lack of money and that no work is currently underway. Here is a nearby structure covered with soil and trees.
This photograph was taken from the top of the pyramid. There is quite a bit left to discover in the relatively empty, hot and flat land of Yucatán.
This map shows the places we visited in the Yucatan.
Ek Balam is on the way from Chichén Itzá to Cancun.
After spending one more night near Chichén Itzá we were driven to a resort on the Riviera Maya where we enjoyed the beach for four nights. We made a visit to the resort town of Playa Del Carmen one day. Then we were driven to Cancun’s airport for our homeward trip.
Next—the flight home via Houston, 2,446 miles.
