VVR7+WJ Ekbalam, Yucatan, Mexico
Ek Balam is a name in the Yucatec Maya language, derived from the words ek’, which means black, and in some translations means “bright star”; and balam, which means "jaguar." Thus, it can be translated as "dark jaguar" or "black jaguar." However, some Maya speakers in the region also translate it as "jaguar-star." According to the narrative about Ek Balam, written in 1579 by the well-known Juan Gutiérrez Pichón, it is mentioned that the name of this place comes from the name of a great man named Ek Balam or Koh-Kal-Balam, who founded it and ruled it for 40 years. However, archaeological findings have not provided any evidence of the existence of this character. Eventhug, a symbol-emblem found on stone monuments called hieroglyphic snakes, is actually mentioned in the narrative as the name of the place.
Its history begins around 300 BCE, before the arrival of the Spanish. It was the capital of the Talol empire, to which the inhabitants of the eastern part of the state paid tribute, including part of the coast, as evidenced by offerings made from shells. It covered about 12 km², which included a sacred central space of just over 1 km², where the elite lived, protected and enclosed by 3 walls. It had 5 entrances, each leading to an equal number of pre-Hispanic roads or sacbe (sak bé oob).
It was a very wealthy capital with a population of 12,000 to 18,000 inhabitants in its center. It consists of 45 structures and is surrounded by two concentric stone walls and another one connecting the central buildings. These walls were intended for defensive purposes and access control. There is a ballgame court and a very beautiful arch, which was connected by a sacbe (sacred road) that in ancient times linked Maya kingdoms; there are also stelae and so-called hieroglyphic snakes, monuments beautifully carved from stone blocks. The structures have various architectural styles, but there are details that make them unique, such as images with wings resembling angels.
Ek Balam is a Maya city that reached its peak development during the Late Classic period (600-900 CE) and may have been the residence of the Talol kingdom. The first known king of Ek Balam is Ukit Kan Let Tok (father of four flint facades), who was the builder of most of the luxurious palace now known as the Acropolis, and many other structures. Likewise, he was a promoter of technical and cultural achievements, as well as architectural and decorative richness, the best example of which is Structure 35 Sub, located inside the Acropolis and known as Sak Xok Nahh (white reading house), a tomb for Ukit Kan Let Tok, who was buried with a rich offering consisting of more than 7,000 items, such as ceramic vessels, shell objects, snails, and tumbaqui.
Besides the artistic value of Ek Balam’s features, the value of the discovered information — which is still being uncovered — is vital, as it filled a large gap in archaeological data for the northeastern part of the peninsula. The Talol kingdom exerted strong influence on neighboring sites, even on Chichen Itza, which in its early stages adopted methods and materials used in Ek Balam for murals and stucco, as well as its early ceramics, all of which bear distinct traits first developed in Ek Balam.
Excavations at Ek Balam have changed the understanding of the pre-Hispanic political landscape of the northern Yucatan Peninsula. For a long time, Coba and Chichen Itza were known as the only powerful entities in this area, and Ek Balam appeared between them, with a history that places it exactly in between as a powerful kingdom that held sway over a region not yet fully divided but destined to become known in the future.
This supremacy could only have been achieved under the leadership of a ruler who could guide his people along the desired path to achieve his goals and, moreover, gain control over adjacent territories that would provide the material and human resources necessary for the great deeds initiated in the kingdom. This control and subjugation were achieved through confrontation and threats of war, as no one submits voluntarily. Some signs of the warlike nature of Ukit Kan Le’k Tok and his kingdom are: one of his titles, the painting by Chak O’hlba’te “Warrior, cutting hearts.” The presence of three ramparts protecting the central core of the site, where the royal palace and thus the government residence of the Talol kingdom were located; images of the king and other characters on their clothing, weapons, and shields; the presence of trophy heads that some characters wear on their belts; and images carved on the facades of the First Level of the Acropolis, where we see captives surrounded by the warriors who captured them, a sign of the kingdom’s power and at the same time a warning to those who intended to oppose it.
Some frescoes at Ek Balam depict battle scenes; we see bleeding people and warriors in large headdresses carrying spears and shields; others carry banners, breastplates, and other weapons and face each other with expressions of ferocity on their faces. Comparing this set of data, dates, and facts obtained from both sixteenth-century written sources and archaeological and scientific research, it is clear that the chief managed in a short time to restore the prosperous Talol kingdom, as well as to learn about the main hero of extraordinary success, Ukit Kan Le’k Tok. Further excavations of buildings that remain buried will reveal even more facts about the history of Ek Balam and its Talol kingdom, telling us about its origin and history.
https://meksika.info/strana/dostoprimechatelnosti/ek-balam-meksika-piramida-majya/
