Dzimizeni mumzinda wakale wa Mayan wa Ek Balam, malo ofukula mabwinja omwe ali ndi mawonekedwe apadera azachuma chifukwa cha kulemera kwake komanso zinsinsi zake.
Pafupi ndi malo odzaona alendo a Cancun ndi Playa del Carmen, m'chigawo chapakati chakum'mawa kwa Yucatan ndi 190 km kuchokera ku likulu lake la Merida, pali mzinda wakale wa Mayan wa Ek Balam, malo ofukula mabwinja omwe ali ndi mawonekedwe apadera chifukwa chachuma chake komanso zinsinsi zake. Kumasuliridwa kuchokera ku Mayan, dzina lake limatanthawuza nyamayi yakuda kapena yakuda, ngakhale okhalamo amakonda kuyitcha nyenyezi ya jaguar.
Munali mu 1994 pomwe ntchito yofukula zakale za Ek Balam idayamba motsogozedwa ndi National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH), yomwe ili mgawo lachinayi la ntchito. Mpaka chaka chimenecho, nyumba yokhayo yomwe idafufuzidwa ndi kachisi waung'ono, ndipo ntchito yaying'ono yosamalira idachitidwa pazinyumba zina ziwiri.
Nyumba zazikuluzikulu zili m'malo awiri otchedwa Kumpoto ndi Kummwera, zonse zili mdera la 1.25 km2, momwe zilinso zina. Misewu isanu isanachitike ku Spain yotchedwa sak be’oob imayambira pamakoma amkati ndi akunja; pali khoma lina lotchedwa lachitatu, zonsezi ndi chitsimikizo cha chitetezo champhamvu chomwe chidaperekedwa kudera lapakati pa mzindawu, malo okhala olemekezeka komanso olamulira.
Munthawi yoyamba ya projekiti ya lNAH, nyumba ziwiri kum'mwera kwa plaza zidamasulidwa ndikuphatikizidwa: kapangidwe ka 10, mbali yakum'mawa, komwe kumakhala malo akulu pomwe pali kachisi wochepa komanso nsanja ziwiri zomwe sizikhala ndi gawo lochepa kuchokera pamwamba, pomwe zimawerengedwa kuti malo akuluakulu otseguka atha kuperekedwa kumiyambo.
Nyumba ina yayikulu kwambiri mgululi - 17, yomwe ili kumadzulo kwa South Plaza - imadziwika kuti Las Gemelas chifukwa cha kapangidwe kake, chifukwa ili ndi nyumba ziwiri zofanana kumtunda komweko. Ilinso ndi malo oyang'anira ozungulira a pyramidal, stelae ya osamalira mawonekedwe a angelo omwe ali pafupi ndi khomo
Ili ndi pakamwa pa njoka pafupifupi mamitala atatu kutalika, komwe kumatipangitsa kuti tizindikire chidwi champhamvu chauzimu, mosiyana ndi malo ena ofukula zakale a ku Spain.
Pakadali pano, mwayi wopezeka ndi mseu wopapatiza woopsa, chifukwa chake boma la boma latsala pang'ono kumaliza kulambalala makilomita asanu ndi anayi omwe amalunjika molunjika ku malo okopa alendo, omwe dera lawo lili m'matauni a Temozón, kuphatikiza pakupindulitsa kwa a Valladolid ndi Tizimín, onse ku Yucatán, komanso momwe zimakhudzira anthu opitilira 12 zikwi.
Chitsime: Mexico Yosadziwika No. 324 / February 2004
