Ek Balam: The Mayan Ruin You Can Actually Climb
What’s Ek Balam? Only the most amazing archeological site ever! The Mayans started building this site back around 700 BCE and it was populated until around 1550 CE. I’m not sure why this place isn’t more popular, but we definitely appreciated the lack of tourists. While Chichén-Itzá is impressive, we enjoyed ourselves a lot more at Ek Balam, and learned more while there too. I’m not suggesting you skip Chichén-Itzá (we did both), but if your goal is to entertain your kids, then Ek Balam is the sure winner.
Climbing Ek Balam
Aside from the historical significance, what makes Ek Balam awesome is that you can climb all the structures! So of course, that’s exactly what we did. If you have a kid that likes to climb, Ek Balam makes for an awesome playground. However, you’ll want to keep your eye on them as the stairs are quite steep and there is no safety net. Allowing your child the freedom to explore these ruins, climbing to the top or simply running from one structure to the next, is a great way to show them that history can be fun.
Ek Balam has over 40 well preserved structures. The largest of these is the Acropolis, which is 480 feet long and over 100 feet tall (32 meters). Climbing that was quite the task, as the steps were very steep, dizzyingly so. And if you think going up those steep stairs is a challenge, just want until you have to go back down them! It was a little scary and my kid scooted most of the way down on his butt to ensure he wouldn’t tumble down. I didn’t ask him to do this; he just naturally wanted to be safe. If given the chance, most kids will show you how resilient and resourceful they can be.
Because we were allowed to climb the structures and go inside the buildings, we had an absolute blast at Ek Balam. As far as the educational aspect goes, there are lots of plaques and signs throughout the site, and it was nice learning about the purpose of all the structures.
When we were exploring the Oval Palace, my kid beat me to the top (I was busy taking pictures) and found a hiding spot where he decided to hide from me. Because, you know, the fear of losing your child in a foreign country isn’t enough on its own. Thankfully, I didn’t panic and had a good chuckle instead (but I probably would have freaked out a bit had a few more seconds gone by). This place was neat, and after we got to the top everyone else cleared off. For a while, there was no one else in sight.
From the Ek Balam website:
Forming the south side of the South Plaza is the Oval Palace which contains 10 rooms on the first level, two more on the top level, and which is crowned with a small temple. While it is constructed on a rectangular base, the multi-tiered structure itself is rounded. It is supposed that this structure is related to astronomical associations. Behind this structure is a small raised courtyard. To the southwest is a well restored arched entryway which was probably the formal entry point into the capital.
Next we climbed to the top of the east side of the Ballcourt, which the sign said it was completed in the year 841. We liked this structure a lot because it was fairly central to the site and we had a nice view of everything around us. Plus, we had it all to ourselves. There were so few people at Ek Balam it often felt like we were the only living people there, which was a very different experience from the other two archeological sites we toured. And for us, that’s the key difference: we toured the other two sites, but we got to explore Ek Balam. Being able to climb these structures, go inside the buildings, and simply get up close to the ancient ruins is a neat way to experience history.
Last was our ascent and descent of the Acropolis, which was by far the highlight of our trip. With 106 steps, we’ve climbed taller structures, but this is probably the neatest. The steps are so steep and narrow. We crouched down and used our hands as well as our feet to go up. It was very windy at the top and the view of the surrounding jungle was amazing. It is incredible how well preserved the tomb is. The other structures of the site, which seemed fairly tall when we were on top of them, looked so small and so far away from the top of the Acropolis.
From the Ek Balam website:
On the fourth level is a self-contained structure unparalleled in the Maya world. This temple has an intricately worked stucco facade that is near perfectly preserved. This state of preservation is due to the fact that it has only been recently excavated and freed from protective exterior stone walls. The main element is the huge open fanged mouth of an earth deity through which a passageway leads deeper into the structure. There are molded masks, decorative geometric motifs, and most striking, winged statues termed “angels”. These are elaborately costumed and are unique in the Maya world. The complexity and beauty of this facade is breathtaking. Inside this structure is a chamber, Sak Xoc Nah, which translates to “White House of Reading”. It was the tomb of the ruler Ukit Kan Le’k Tok, and held a vast amount of funerary items.
Compared to Chichén-Itzá
The main difference between Chichén-Itzá and Ek Balam is in how they are experienced. Chichén-Itzá is huge and well known. It is jam-packed with tourists and merchants. There will undoubtedly always be someone else, usually a crowd of people, in your all your photos. And you only get to view the ancient structures that make up the site. When you visit Chichén-Itzá, you are simply on a sightseeing tour. You are taking a few pics for Instagram or maybe you’re even checking something off your bucket list, but it isn’t personal. If you are part of a tour group, you’ll probably feel like your time at Chichén-Itzá was rushed and you won’t be able to see half of the structures at the site.
Contrast this to Ek Balam, where you can climb all the structures, allowing you to really experience the majesty of the Mayan civilization. It is also much, much less crowded. During some of our time at Ek Balam, there weren’t any other people in sight. We very easily could have been the only two people there.
You will tour Chichén-Itzá, but you will experience Ek Balam.
Plus, if you go to Ek Balam during the warm months, you can enjoy a swim in Cenote Xcanche, which I highly recommend. I have a post dedicated specifically to how much we enjoyed Cenote Xcanche.
Getting There
Ek Balam is in the Yucatan Peninsula, and one of the key archeological sites of the Riviera Maya. It is about two hours from both Playa del Carmen and Cancún, or 30 minutes from Valladolid if you want to stay closer to this area. We stayed at an AirBnB in Playa del Carmen, but kind of wished we would have stayed one night in Valladolid so we could have spent more time at each of the ruins we visited instead of in the car. The drive isn’t difficult, but there aren’t a lot of gas stations along the way, so make sure you fill up before leaving. And pack some snacks as well, since there aren’t any roadside food options either. Having Valladolid be your accommodation for at least one night will also be valuable if you are chasing cenotes like we were. We visited 10 different cenotes during our trip to Mexico and each one provided a vastly different, yet totally amazing, experience.
If you want to maximize your time in the area, you can do Chichén-Itzá in the morning, grab lunch there, and head to Ek Balam for rest of the afternoon. While you can spend a full day at either site, you can certainly combine both for a single fun-filled day. Ek Balam is only about an hour away from Chichén-Itzá. You could do Ek Balam first, but you’ll probably want to end the day there with a swim in the cenote, plus, even if you don’t take a dip in the cenote, it is easy to lose track of time at Ek Balam since you can climb all the structures. You can opt for a group tour, but I suggest renting a car and doing things yourself. This will give you more time to enjoy things.
Ek Balam is 100% worth your time. If you find yourself in Mexico wanting to do something that’s a little off the beaten path, visiting Ek Balam is it.