By Lisa T. Bergren

On a family vacation in Cancun, Mexico? Want a dose of Mayan ruins without the crowds? While Ek’ Balam is neither as vast as Chichen Itza, nor in as pretty a location as Tulum, it’s a great way to get to know ancient Mayan culture without the press of other tourists. It’s about two hours’ drive (100 miles) from Cancun, along the largely empty toll highway 180D, carved out of an arid jungle, north of Chichen Itza.

Directions to Ek’ Balam from Cancun

• Head west on 180 or 180D, then north on Highway 295 and follow the signs to Tizimin and/or Ek’ Balam.
• NOTE: When you get to the end, there is confusing signage that sends you left or straight ahead. Go straight; the road to the left passes through ranch land with massive, white, free range cattle and into a sweet neighboring town, with a central plaza. There, women in front of small huts work on broad looms, weaving their wares in brilliant hues of flower magenta and Caribbean turquoise and Mayan gold. Kids wander about on a Sunday afternoon, smiling shyly at clearly-lost-visitors, and homeless dogs follow behind them, hoping they’ll drop their suckers. It’s intriguing, if you want to see contemporary Mayan life, but if you’re there for the ancients…continue straight on.

Hiring a Guide at Ek’ Balam

In the parking lot, skinny, barefoot boys race up to greet you, offering to wash your rental car. A man passes out glossy brochures to a cenote (limestone sinkhole with fresh water), which looked like a pretty cool place to swim and play, but we didn’t have time to visit. In front of the ticket booth, men hover; they are guides waiting to be hired.

I ask the Cenote Hawker, who speaks wonderful English, who would be the best guide, with the best language skills. He furtively recommends William, glancing around like he’ll pay heavily for mentioning one name over another. But it’s Casimiro who steps up, and his English and gumption wins us over. Quickly, we arrange a deal–$40 for all 7 of us on a 1.5-2 hour tour. (We could’ve probably talked him down, but we figure it’s worth about $5.75 each to know what we’re looking at here.)

Our Private Tour Through Ek’ Balam

Casimiro—a short, broad-faced man, classically Mayan in looks, with a white (albeit a bit dirty) shirt and a bold necklace made up partially of ancient green stones—proves worth the investment. He walks us through the entrance, helping us to “see,” in our mind’s eye, the four roads that once led to the settlement, and the walls and towers that once protected it. We enter through a unique, four-side arch that was probably once used for special ceremonies, or simply to mark the roads that connected Black Jaguar (Mayan for Ek’Balam, name of its first king) to other cities. To our left is a mound of stone and jungle that is a building, not yet unearthed, that gives us all an idea of the massive work it took to bring Ek Balaam to its current state.

We walk through a small arena, once a ball court—the “baskets” were stolen/removed long ago—and head quickly to the Acropolis, or tomb of Ukil-Kan-Lek-Tok. At the bottom, Casimiro points out the gaping mouth of a serpent and reads the message in Mayan hieroglyphics (he claims to be able to read all of the 800, and who are we to doubt him?), and we find ourselves more intrigued by the guttural sounds and clicks of the language than the translation itself. But this is where they got the ruler’s name, dead now some 1200 years.

We climb the steep steps, even holding onto and encouraging my mother-in-law—who often suffers from vertigo—to Just Get Halfway Up. It’s important for the view, and to get a closer look at what makes this place an archeological gem; originally discovered and excavated in 1886, this site was pretty much ignored until 1987, but then they unearthed the fabulous tomb façade, and people got more interested.  The decorative façade of stucco and limestone mortar, covered in dirt until a little over twelve years ago, is fascinating, depicting angels, warriors and priests in full regalia and another massive serpent’s mouth for a doorway. For my seven-year-old, it brings to mind the temple entrance for Disney’s Aladdin, where he entered to find the secret lamp, with massive jaws that can clamp shut at any moment.

Casimiro says that if they don’t get more tourist traffic, they are threatening to rebury this archeological treasure to preserve it–the downside of a site not on your typical tourist track.

We leave my MIL at this level, where she can safely sit and admire the view, and climb the rest of the steps to the top. This pyramid was built in a different style from Chichen Itza’s, but it’s also one of the highest among the Mayan ruins. It feels kingly enough for us. From here, we can see for miles (if you go, look for Coba’s pyramid!), and I imagine the ruler once sitting here, atop a hand-carved and gold-inlaid throne, receiving his people. At this height, one begins to understand how these guys began to think of themselves as gods. They lived much of their lives above the treetops, and with a flick of their hands, sent people off to be sacrificed.

But Mayan society is and was a matriarchal society, Casimiro informs us. When the boys got out of line, they weren’t immune to being annihilated themselves. One particularly corrupt ruler was drawn and quartered, portions of his body displayed on each of the four walls to warn all that There Is A Line And You Better Not Cross It.

The Complex of Ek’ Balam

We pass an old steam bath before the tomb, then through a group of buildings, including Las Gemelas, the twins. Coincidentally, it’s the day of the vernal equinox. Were the sun not covered in gathering thunderclouds, and had we been here from sun-up to sun-down, we wouldn’t seen how it rose between the edges of a building on one side and sank between the edges of “a twin” directly across from it. The Mayans, like the ancient Egyptians, were apparently pretty good at the astrological stuff.

Did You Know? Equinox means “equal night,” when the sun is positioned right above the equator and night and day are equal in length.

Ek Balaam was just one of more than seventy such settlements of the Late Classic Period of the Mayans. As we walk back out, Casimiro shares that he was raised not more than three kilometers from here. “My father knew I was lazy. I would not help with gathering and selling wood. So he moved me to town, where I could go to school.” From there, he went on to a bigger town to attend high school and then spent some time at the university, and learned his English from varied sources, principally “Stargate. I loved that movie and bought the DVD with subtitles. Not only does it have to do with my people, it helped me learn the language!” He carries an electronic translator in his hands, to aid him when he gets stuck. But we’re amazed at what he knows already. He intends to go back to school and finish his archeological degree, and get certified for other sites. He dreams of world travel. Egypt. Italy. New York City.

As we walk past Palacio Oval (the oval palace), my daughter asks what the Mayans did for hygiene, and Casimiro tells us they did what he did, up until a few years ago—they brushed their teeth with coal and then wiped them clean with a root. Then they chewed gum, made from another root. “It made their mouths very kissable,” he says, flashing us a grin.

We return his smile, my husband hands him a tip, and we move on. But Casimiro, and Ek’ Balam, will live long in our memory

Helpful Tips for Touring Ek’ Balam:

• Once you head out on Highway 180D, there are no gas stations for a LONG time. Don’t make our mistake—we took off from Cancun with half a tank of gas and had to turn back, barely making it “home” on fumes and costing us a precious half-day of our vacation.
• Our guidebook said entrance was free on Sunday, but that’s apparently just for Mexican nationals; it was about 30-40 pesos each for tickets
• There is one restroom on the premises: Everyone should use the bathroom beside the ticket booth. It’s dark, but there is soap and water!
• Bring your own water/snacks
• Valladoid, a colonial city, is only 9 miles south–a good place to grab a meal after a visit to the site if you’re staying in Cancun
• Plan on about 250 pesos for the toll on 180D; might be charged both ways, but we got on the wrong highway returning to Cancun, so we don’t know! (see below)
• Highway 180 (free) does not meet up with Highway 180D (tollway) and takes another hour to get back to Cancun, goes through many, many small towns with many, many massive speedbumps, and dumps you out at the north end—a bummer if you’re staying closer to the south

For a teen’s perspective on Ek’ Balam, check out our daughter’s report on TeenTravelers.com!

Have you been to an ancient Mayan ruin? Where? What did you like best about it? Please comment below!