Balamku

Section from the Balamkú frieze, stabilized original state

Balamkú is a rather small Mayan ruined city in the vicinity of Calakmul , which became famous for a well-preserved wall frieze discovered in 1990. It is located in the Mexican state of Campeche , on the border with Guatemala , around 65 kilometers north of the Mayan site of Calakmul. The name is not original.

Reconstructed building of the frieze, later phase

The building with the frieze made of modeled and painted stucco is in the rear part of the complex. The frieze decorates the upper wall surface of a building with three entrances and in some cases protrudes high above it. The original red color is extremely well preserved. The dominant element are toads , which, according to the Maya, were revered guides of people from the earth to the underworld . The frieze and the building to which it belongs were built over with a taller building in old times, which explains the good state of preservation. The later building was restored to protect it, the frieze is accessible through a side door (west side).

literature

• Nikolai Grube : Mayan god-kings in the rainforest . Könemann-Verlag, Cologne 2000, pp. 234–243. ISBN 3-8290-1564-X .

Web links

Commons : Balamku  - collection of images, videos and audio files

• Official website of INAH

See also

• List of Mayan ruins

Coordinates: 18 ° 33 ′ 37 ″  N , 89 ° 56 ′ 40 ″  W.