The first Mayan city we visited was Balamku. Balamku is a small site about 1 kilometer down and across the highway from the road to Calakmul. The entrance to the site is not well marked. Look for the “Restaurante Selva”, and the entrance is the road just beside it going north.
Archaeologists named the site after one of the stucco jaguars on the frieze in sub-structure I-A: Balamku, which is Mayan for “Jaguar’s Temple”.
Balamku felt very quiet and peaceful. I mainly felt the energy of the jungle and trees. The first time we visited, we were the only visitors at the site. The site has 3 groups of temples: the North Group (currently unexcavated); the Central Group; and the South Group. The central group has the temple with the frieze inside. The frieze is amazing and unusual compared to other Mayan friezes and art, definitely worth a visit.
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