Should you go to CHICHEN ITZA? How about EK BALAM?

For regular videos on ancient cultures and forgotten civilizations, please subscribe. If you would like to support the channel and become part of our ancient history fan community, visit patreon.com slash world of antiquity. Welcome to the Antiquities Travel Guide. Follow us to different countries as we search for ancient artifacts. If you too wish to explore the ancient past through travel, we'll help you plan where to go, what to see, and how best to enjoy what you encounter. In this series of the ATG, you can accompany Cassie and me on our trek through the Yucatan Peninsula, homeland of the ancient Maya. Come on, let's go! Welcome to the final leg of our journey through the incredible Yucatan Peninsula. We're going to end it in style by visiting the amazing sites of Ek'balam and Chichen Itza, along with a visit to the Grand Museum of the Maya World in Merida. If you're considering going to any of these places, or will be in the northern Yucatan anytime soon, keep watching. After staying a second night in Tulum, Cassie and I headed northwest towards Ek'balam, with a stop in Valladolid to have some breakfast. We found a lovely spot in town called El Mesón de Marques, which was comfortable, had excellent service, and delicious food. I ordered a Yucatec Mayan dish called Mutaleños. It rocked. Look at that plantains in the whole shot. So today we're going to go to two fantastic archaeological sites. The first is Ek'balam, a little smaller, but it's in the general vicinity of the bigger one we're going to be going to after that, and that is Chichen Itza. Yeah, I'm sure you've heard of that one. So we're really looking forward to it. Then we left Valladolid and made our way to Ek'balam. A young man in the parking lot cornered me to ask if I would like him to watch our car while we were inside. For a tip, of course. Mind you, he didn't work at Ek'balam. I was afraid to say no in case something happened to our car just because I said no. So I let him. In its day, Ek'balam was an important administrative and ceremonial center, as well as an agricultural production center for the eastern part of the Yucatec. Even today, corn, honey, wax, and cotton are still produced in this area. The city reached its peak of development in construction and art in the 8th and 9th centuries CE. The fact that a triple defensive wall was built around the site suggests that conditions in this part of the peninsula were dangerously unsettled. At the entrance, you will see a large portal arch, a sakbe, or ceremonial road, leading up to it. It's unusual because it has an entrance on each of the four sides. It may have been a city gate or a triumphal arch for processions. We're here at Ek'balam. This is a beautiful site surrounded by jungle. It covers about 10 square kilometers. And the site is still being excavated by the INAH. Now, entry to get in here will cost you about 413 pesos per person. The abundant hieroglyphs painted in the walls of capstones of Ek'balam's buildings have shed considerable light on the history of the city. The discovery of an emblem glyph revealed that the name of this ancient state was Talol, and Ek'balam was its capital city. The two buildings set side by side here are called the Twins and are believed to have been for ancestor worship. This structure is called the Oval Palace, which was built in three successive stages, all with oval shapes, hence its name. The second stage was distinguished by two main halls on the top floor. Rooms were added on the sides, which appear to be apartments. The little temple on top is from stage three. Findings within the Oval Palace, which belonged to officials and nobles, suggest that it was used exclusively by the elites of the city. Mayans up here sitting here and going, beautiful city we live in. Isn't it magnificent? We rulers rule this great city. There's a ball court here, as in most Maya cities, and inscription says this one was built in 841. For more on the Maya ball game, check out my previous episode on Koba. According to the writings found here, with some help from some traditions that were written down in colonial times, a royal dynasty was founded here on April 7th, 770. The founder of the dynasty, who appears to have come from the south, was named Ek'balam, which means either Star Jaguar or Black Jaguar, or both, and he gave his name to the city. But he lasted only a month, and the first real king of the city, a K'hul'ahau, Holy King, took power at that time. His name was Uk'it-kan-lek-tok, which means Father of Four Hard Flints. He ruled for more than 30 years, we think, and most of the buildings here were constructed during his reign. He's Ek'balam's most famous king. There is no cenote on this site, so the ancient Maya had to build cisterns to capture the rainwater. This is the best part. We're here at the principal monument of Ek'balam, the Acropolis, which stands 100 feet high. This monument, which was added to over the years, began in the reign of Uk'it-kan-lek-tok, and his successors added to it with superimposed stages of construction. There are all kinds of winding passageways and stairs and corbel-vaulted rooms on various levels. It's a complex structure. This inscription on the eastern side of the pyramid is damaged at the beginning, but the bottom three blocks read, which is the name of the stairway of Kalomte. Kalomte, as I told you in the last episode, denotes a regional ruler. Uk'it-kan-lek, King of Talol, so it says. I'm not saying, so it says. It says, so it says. Murals were discovered in various rooms of the Acropolis, including the mural of the 96 glyphs. Finding Mayan glyphs painted rather than carved is not common, but it tells us that they had different mediums for writing. Different media? Well, you know what I mean. Here on one of the upper levels is a building called the Sak Shok Na, which means either White House of Accounting or White House of Respect. But look at this magnificent stucco frieze. It's in remarkably awesome condition. One of the best things we've seen on this trip. And what you're looking at here is the entrance, which is a giant maw with fangs. You're entering the flower mountain here. This is in pure Chinese style. And it was worth coming to Ekbalam just to see this. Inside of this sacred building was found the tomb of Uk'it-kan-lek Tok himself, the richest interment in the northern regions of Mesoamerica. He died in the year 814. He was laid out on a jaguar pelt. Surrounding him were both human and animal sacrificial victims and one of the earliest attested metal objects found in Maya archaeology, a golden frog. There was a ceramic vessel right next to his head that read on it, Uk'it-kan-lek, the warrior cutter of hearts, the handsome one, prince of the earth, the holy king of Talal. Now his skull bones suggest that he suffered from a severe deformation of the jaw, which must have given him a distinctive look. That's the sarlacc pit. Coming down the stairs, I heard one of the tourists asking one of the guys at work here, but when was this built? And I didn't hear what the guide said. I think he probably said 800 because that's what the time was, but the guy heard 1800. And he's like, oh yeah, so I guess that means the Europeans taught them how to build this. I wanted to go up and say something, but I stayed out of it. 72 rooms have been found so far in this structure. Anything cool in there? Looks like room to me. What do you think this is, table? That bench there? Bench or table? I'm thinking table because of how high it is, but maybe bench. This is maybe the best preserved chultun, or cistern, we've encountered. Pretty cool. Oh yeah, this is a chultun. Stele 1 here depicts a king whose name is not fully preserved. He's given the title Kalomte, which denotes a regional ruler. He has a date in the year 840 on it. The date of Ekbalam's final inscription is 896, and we expect it went into decline after that. It was subsequently conquered by the Toltec army and dominated by the Maya Toltec warrior caste that ruled from Chichen Itza. The city was finally abandoned around 1200. Our last archaeological site on this trip is one of the biggest and most popular. Chichen Itza. It's only about an hour from Ekbalam. If you stay at one of the hotels near the site, you can get into Chichen Itza the back way and avoid all the crowds. But if you're just driving in, you've got to wait in line. This place is a madhouse. We got here and the parking lot was full, but Cassie spotted an open space and we got into it. But we're expecting quite a crowded park. This is the line. Let's see how far back it goes. Oh, jeez. Holy cow. It goes and goes. Still going. Oh, there's the end. The only place that's given us a map, so that's a good thing. There are vendors galore at Chichen Itza. Nothing like we've seen at any of the other sites on this trip. They line the walkways and if you stop for two seconds to look at something, they don't want to let you leave. But there are some nice souvenirs and they could use your support. We're here at Chichen Itza. This was once one of the major political and spiritual centers of the Maya world. Entry to this site will cost you 481 pesos, which is about 25 US dollars. We do recommend you get here early. We got here a little later in the afternoon and it was crazy at the entrance. We had to stand in line for about a half an hour and then another line to get in and it's very crowded. Chichen Itza is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and in 2007 was chosen as one of the Seven Wonders of the New World. This structure is called the Oshuary because it was originally thought to be a tomb complex, but it actually was an observatory, not the only one here at Chichen Itza. Its orientation allowed the observance of the zenith of the sun on May 23rd, which corresponds to the beginning of the rainy season. The pyramid was built over a cave which goes straight down, believed to have been an entrance to the underworld, so this building had great religious and socio-political significance in the 10th century CE when it was built. It had a temple on top. The columns of the Oshuary are carved with reliefs that depict what appear to be priests. The Mayan cities we explored on this trip peaked, or had their fluorescence, during different periods. The early ones being places like Cojonlich and Zibanchay, which had their apogees in the Early Classic period. In the middle were cities like Calakmul, Karakol, and Koba, which flourished in the Late Classic period. And then cities like Uxmal and Kaba had their golden ages in the Terminal Classic period. Chichen Itza was just getting going in the Terminal Classic and really came into its own in the Post-Classic. Being enthusiasts of the Classic period, and less so of the Post-Classic, we concentrated our attention on the oldest parts of the city. The Red House group, the Central group, and the Nunnery group, sometimes together called Old Chichen. There's an even older section dating to the Early Classic period further south, but it's not open to the public. Sitting next to a ball court is the Red House, one of the best-preserved buildings here. Many hieroglyphs were found written inside it, which contained the names of rulers of Chichen Itza, and possibly of Ekbalam, and a recorded date of 869 CE. The Itza people who lived here spoke of a great ancestor, named K'ul Itza Ahau, who migrated here from Lake Peten Itza in what is now Guatemala. Most of the Itza who came here probably arrived between 700 and 800. In those days, even after the Itza got here, the city was not called Chichen Itza. Uncertainty about how to read the name makes it difficult to get it exactly right, but it was either Ukyabnal, Ukhabnal, or Ukabnal. One of the most intriguing structures here in Chichen Itza is El Caracol. It means the snail or the conch, or is it conch? I never really know how to pronounce that word. Anyway, measurements taken here by archaeoastronomers have determined that it was used as an observatory. The Mayans, looking from the platforms and the windows and door jams, plotted the positions of the sun, the moon, but especially the planet Venus. You'll find that although most of the buildings of Chichen Itza display the Toltec Maya style of architecture, the earlier structures, such as we find here, are in the style we saw at Uxmal and other places in the Puuk region. So we can see that the Puuk style of architecture traveled north with the Itza. Images of their god Kul Kulkan, the plumed serpent, can be seen in the art. The nunnery was misnamed, as this was probably a government building. Lintels in the nunnery are full of hieroglyphic texts that were made during the second half of the 9th century. A Kuhul Ajao, holy king, is named. Kaak Upakal, who appears to have been active between 870 and 890. This little building is called the church, which is decorated with stone mosaics in the Puuk style. Note the masks of the god Chak, with their hooked or rolled noses. On each side of the central mask there is a kind of niche with two seated figures, which are believed to be the four Bakabob, that's plural for Bakab, brother gods in Maya myth that support the sky in its four cardinal directions. Heading west, we spotted another early building, which is known as Akab Dzib, meaning house of mysterious writing, named for the hieroglyphs found on one of its lintels. Having seen the old part of the city, we turned north and made our way back up to New Chichen, the area where the post-classic buildings are found and most of the crowds. The authority of the old rulers of this city came to an end when the Toltec warlord Topiltzin came here with his army in 987 and wrested control of this entire region from its owners and established his capital here, giving it the name Chichen. At least that's what the legend says. It wasn't until the 12th century that a new wave of Itza people moved into the area and the site became known as Chichen Itza. When historians speak of the Toltecs, they mean the people associated with a series of cities that took the feathered serpent as their chief sociopolitical emblem. The Toltec king of Chichen was a powerful ruler who identified himself with the sun. A high priest was second in authority to him, and a military elite, using an S-shaped serpent as an emblem, held power along with the king and the high priest. Then there were the regular folks. Here's a reconstruction of a commoner's house. Since they were mostly made of wood, you don't often get to see them, so life-size models like this are helpful. There are several cenotes at Chichen Itza. This one's called the Shtolok, or Iguana, cenote. Next to it is a temple called the Shtolok Temple, built in the post-classic period. The proximity of the temple to the cenote, and the reliefs on the columns and jams, suggests that it was dedicated to the god Choc. The buildings that you're seeing now were constructed during the time the Toltecs ruled here. This one, misnamed the Market by the Spanish, was probably either a council house or ceremonial building of some kind. Check out these columns. There are hundreds of them. It's believed that these were great meeting halls. The columns once supported a frieze and a roof, which collapsed long ago. The roof wasn't made of stone. It was probably wood, mortar, or thatch. We're now on the Great North Platform, the most popular area of the site. The Temple of the Warriors is one of the most impressive at Chichen Itza. This step pyramid is fronted and flanked by rows of carved columns depicting warriors. At the top of the stairway is a chakmul. That means a sculpture of a reclining figure, supporting himself on his elbows, supporting a bowl or disc on his stomach, whose head faces 90 degrees from the front. These figures may have symbolized slain warriors carrying offerings to the gods. This temple was built on top of an older temple. This little step pyramid, with a stairway ascending each of its four sides, is known as the Temple of the Jaguars. The sides are decorated with panels depicting eagles and jaguars devouring human hearts. Yeah, the eagles are believed to represent the Eagle Knights, an elite group of archers in the army who wore feathers. And the jaguars, the Jaguar Knights, an elite group of club men in the army who wore jaguar skins. Their eating of the hearts may have something to do with a responsibility they had to deliver prisoners for sacrifice to the city gods. A platform next to this step pyramid, called the Tzompantli, has carved reliefs, including eagles eating human hearts, a rack of skulls, and skeleton warriors with arrows and shields. The most well-known structure is the beautiful Pyramid of Kulkulkan in the center of the plaza. It stands 75 feet high, and as its name indicates, was dedicated to Kulkulkan, the feathered serpent deity. Okay, you've got to admit, that is pretty impressive. It was built right over a cenote, and in stages. The earliest parts between 600 and 800, and the last parts between 900 and 1,000. This pyramid, and the first one we saw, the ossuary, are the only ones in Mesoamerica that have stairways descending into the structure. That, and the fact that they were both made for astronomical observation, and were built over sacred caves, may indicate that the ossuary served as a model for this pyramid. What's been discovered inside of the pyramid? Not much, actually. In the 1930s, some ritual objects were found, such as a chalk mule, and a red, jaguar-shaped seat of some kind. Some human remains as well. But no fabulous riches. Tourists used to be able to go inside, and up to the top, but alas, not anymore. We thought we'd seen every kind of ball court one could possibly see in the Yucatan, until we walked into this one. The great ball court of Chichen Itza blew our minds. It's 545 feet long, and 225 feet wide. It seems impractical to actually play on it, so archaeologists say it was probably used more for ceremony than for real games. But whatever the case, it's magnificent. Beautiful reliefs depicting ball players decorate its sides. It was too crowded for us to test, but it is said that the acoustics in here are amazing. You can whisper something on one end, and a person on the other end can hear you just fine. After hiking around these two archaeological sites, we were not only beat, but famished, as we had skipped lunch. So we located a Yucatec buffet in the nearby town of Piste, called Pueblo Maya. Let me tell you, we drank and feasted like the K'uhul Ajao himself. The food was above average, though it was more for meat-eaters than vegetarians like Cassie. Our exploratory trip in the Yucatan was almost complete. We just had one more stop. And for that, we waited until the next morning, after returning to Merida, our starting point on this whole adventure. Last time we were here, we stayed in the old part of the city. But this time, we found ourselves in the newer and more modern section. I was eager to visit the Grand Museum of the Maya World, as it was the biggest of the three museums I picked out for this trip. Parking was 20 pesos, and entrance to the museum was 150 pesos, bringing the total to 170 pesos, or about $7.75 US. It's open 9 to 5 every day, except Tuesday. There are four main rooms that are each focused on a different period of Maya history. It's room four that will be of interest to the fan of ancient Maya culture, and it is absolutely wonderful. The collection here is large, and a lot of work was put into adding informative and interactive displays, and the layout is attractive. You will find much to enjoy. Although we didn't take advantage of it, the museum also has a large Maya Max screen with high-def sound, where you can enjoy film, documentary, and short film productions. So, what were your final impressions as we head to the Merida airport to go home? What a trip! It was awesome. Yeah, that last museum I'd say was the best of the three. The last museum being the one in Merida. In Merida, yes. Yeah. And, I don't know, what were you thinking? What were the highlights of the trip for you? Highlights of the trip? I think the Grand Cenote that we went to was very, very cool. You liked that, yeah? Yeah, I loved that. There were turtles swimming around. Yeah, I mean... You loved the monkeys, right? I loved the howler monkeys. Those were so cool. And we saw another monkey, which we haven't yet identified, but I'm going to start looking into that when I get home. And then there were all these birds, and of course the pyramids and the structures were amazing as well. You know, when do you get a chance to see stuff like that? Yeah. What about you? I would say my... Let's see, I really loved Calakmul. I loved Karakol. The ones that took us a long time to drive out to, those were really great. Yeah. And Chichen Itza was very impressive. I'll have to say that, even though it was the most expensive. Yeah, it was. I was feeling a bit burnt out after waiting in that line and everything, but it was worth it. It was pretty amazing. Especially just how well preserved or restored some of the carvings were on the sides of the buildings. And that ball court was humongous. I know I'm kind of a snob about, oh, that's post-classic, but, you know, it was still pretty great. I want to thank you for coming on this journey with us. I hope we provided you with some information that might help you if you ever decide to visit the ancient ruins of the Yucatan, or maybe just give you some information about the Maya you didn't know before. A couple of months after the trip, Cassie and I sat down to assess, in hindsight, discussing what we thought were the best places we visited, as well as things that went wrong. Those conversations are coming up in the next two videos in the series. I've also begun thinking about our next trip. I put up a poll in the community section of our channel if you would like to have a say in where we go. If you haven't subscribed yet, please do. Thanks again for watching. We'll see you next time.