ACRÓPOLIS
Archaeological zone where it is possible to climb, structured on six levels in Ek'Balam
This is the highlight of the visit to this archaeological area! And because it is less frequented, it is possible to climb there, contrary to the rules imposed on many sites in the region. Nevertheless, be very careful with this vertiginous ascent (but also with its descent, which is considered even more perilous). Climbing the wobbly steps of this imposing construction, structured on six levels and built on a base 160 metres long and 70 metres wide, will take you to the top of what some consider to be one of the roofs of the Mayan world, rising to a height of 31 metres: in the green expanse as far as the eye can see are the buildings in the south square and the remains of the wall that protected the city.
The six floors of the pyramid were to house the governors and high representatives of the city. It is on the fourth of the six levels that the most precious treasures of the place are concentrated: here you are in front of the magnificent Sak Xok Nahh ("the white house of reading"), which housed the tomb of the ruler Ukit Kan Le't Tok, the builder of the acropolis and many buildings of the site. Its door, surmounted by the sovereign sitting on his throne, features the mouth of a monster with menacing teeth. On the sides, there are splendid bas-reliefs where the serene presence of valiant winged warriors can be seen. These sculptures are said to symbolize the passage between the "world of humans" and the underworld, the "inferior world", that of the dead and the spirits.
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