Amazing Day Come with us to explore the north of Yucatán: sail among flamingos and mangroves in the Río Lagartos Biosphere Reserve, and discover the Mayan ruins of Ek Balam, the ancient capital of the Talol Kingdom.in your suitcase.

Northern Yucatan is a largely protected and exuberant jungle region, where natural beauty is often combined with an abundance of archaeological sites and relics of the ancient Mayan civilization.

The Mayan Ruins of Ek Balam

While you can find the legendary Chichen Itza in the south of Valladolid, just 30 kilometers north of the city are the Mayan ruins of a much smaller city, which at its time of splendor was the influential capital of the Tlalol kingdom: Ek Balam.

Founded around 300 A.C, Ek Balam, which is usually translated as Black Jaguar, although a more accurate translation would be Bright Star Jaguar or Star Jaguar, slowly gained a place in the region through the sacbés — white roads, in the Mayan language — that linked it to its neighboring populations, making it an important stopover on local trade routes.

It wasn't until the reign of Ukit Kan Le'k Tok', starting in 770, that the city reached its peak. With this monarch's rise to power, whose name translates as the father of the four fronts of flint, began a period of prosperity that lasted until around the year 1,000, in which it came to have about 20,000 inhabitants and began collecting tributes, or offerings, from nearby towns.

Like so many other Mayan towns in the region, the city was already empty when the Spanish conquistadors arrived.

Ek Balam Archeological zone

Despite having about 45 structures, the archaeological site of Ek Balam is relatively small (approximately 1 km2), and its route usually takes between 1 and 2 hours, but it is definitely worth a visit.

The main building is the Acropolis, mainly built to order and under the supervision of King Ukit Kan Le'k Tok', whose remains (along with some 7,000 offerings of jade, obsidian, shell, snail, and ceramics) were found behind a wall, by a group of archaeologists, in 1998.

Its imposing six-level pyramidal structure, 162 meters long by 70 meters wide and 32 meters high, makes it one of Yucatan's largest and most imposing Mayan architectural vestiges. Inside, there are a large number of vaulted rooms connected by passageways, and every centimeter hides a secret, such as the open jaws of the jaguar that guards the entrance to Ukit Kan Le'k Tok' final resting place or the carved emblem glyph The Hieroglyphic Snakes, which proves the city's importance and relevance.

And the best part: you can climb its 72 steps to the top! From this height, you can enjoy incredible views of the Yucatecan jungle.

In any case, Ek Balam has even more to offer. Other important buildings in the archaeological site are the Twin Pyramids, the Oval Palace (the second in height in Ek Balam, to which you can also climb), and the Ball Game, which is another indicator of the city's prominence since only the most important towns had these games.

Boat trip through the Río Lagartos Reserve

The Río Lagartos Biosphere Reserve is a protected area of about 60,000 hectares on Yucatan's Northern Coast, mainly formed by thick mangroves and wetlands converged by rivers and bodies of water, which in turn joined with the Gulf of Mexico's sea, which causes variations in water salinity throughout this part of the biosphere.

Within the Reserve are 4 villages: Río Lagartos, from where most of the boat trips depart; San Felipe, El Cuyo, and Las Coloradas, the latter famous for its pink water salt pans (the color that varies in tone according to the time of day).

The boat ride through the Reserve from Río Lagartos lasts about 2 hours, during which you can admire the flamingos' huge population nesting in the area, as well as a wide variety of local fauna, such as crocodiles, turtles, spider monkeys, jaguars and deers, and some of the unique, pure and protected ecosystems of the entire region.

In short, a walk through the Río Lagartos Reserve and a visit to the Mayan ruins of Ek Balam are the perfect components for a day of exploration and adventure in northern Yucatan.

What do you think? Will you join the adventure?