How much does Ek Balam cost?
The entrance fee is steep for a Mayan ruin site in Mexico. To enter Ek Balam, you’ll need to pay 413 pesos (around $22 USD)/person. When you compare this price to the popular Tulum ruins, which clock in at an 80 peso price tag, Ek Balam is comparatively expensive!
Can you climb Ek Balam ruins?
You Can Climb All the Way to the Top Ek Balam ruins are some of the tallest in the area, standing at 95 feet tall. You’re allowed to climb to the highest point of the ruins, which will take you high above the treetops and give you a stunning view of the peninsula.
How long does it take to visit Ek Balam?
It is about 2 hours, however I would suggest a guide. Normally we also do the self guided but the people we were travelling with wanted a guide and he was a plethora of information. Things I never would have thought of he told us.
How old is Ek Balam?
Ek Balam was in operation for over 1000 years. Construction started in the late Pre-Classic Period (100 B.C. to 300 A.D.) and continued well into Late Classic Period, 700 to 900 A.D. Speculation suggestions that the city may even have been inhabited as late as the Spanish invasion in the 16th Century.
What does ek mean in Mayan?
By Yucatan Times on August 20, 2019. The word comes from the guaraní jaguarete. “jaguar” – and the suffix “ete”, which means “beast of prey”.
Is it worth visiting Ek Balam?
Ek Balam ruins are absolutely worth visiting because they are not as crowded as the other, more famous sites of Chichen Itza or Tulum. Plus, they are unique because of the presence of beautiful stucco sculptures that you won’t find anywhere else.
What is the Mayan word for jaguar?
Bahlam
The Maya word for Jaguar (Panthera Onca) is Bahlam or B’alam. Also called Tigre in Spanish, jaguars are the largest cat species in the Americas and they are the third largest cat in the world, after tigers and lions.
What is the name of the Mayan jaguar god?
The word comes from the guaraní jaguarete. “jaguar” – and the suffix “ete”, which means “beast of prey”. The word entered English presumably via the Amazonian trade language “Tupinambá”.
When was Ek Balam excavated?
Ek Balam was rediscovered and explored first by the archaeologist Désiré Charnay in the late 1800s. But extensive excavation did not take place until a century later. With much of the mapping of the site occurring in the 1980s followed by extensive research in the 1990s.
What does Balam mean in Mayan?
Definition of balam : a supernatural being in Mayan religion that guards cornfields and villages the Mayas of Central America speak of Balam as a god of agriculture, describing him as an old fellow with a long head.
What is Balam in Mayan?
Asteroid 3749 Balam. A Mayan language name for “jaguar”, see also Jaguars in Mesoamerican cultures.
Who discovered Ek Balam?
archaeologist Désiré Charnay
Ek Balam was rediscovered and explored first by the archaeologist Désiré Charnay in the late 1800s. But extensive excavation did not take place until a century later.