Balamkú

Balamku is a small Maya archaeological site located in the Mexican state of Campeche [1]. It features elaborate plaster facades dating to the Early Classic period [1]. It has one of the largest surviving stucco friezes in the Maya world [1]. Balamku was occupied from about 300 BC, in the Late Preclassic, through to the Terminal Classic period, between 800 and 1000 AD [1]. The ruins were discovered in 1990 by Mexican archaeologist Florentino García Cruz in the company of INAH custodians, when they investigated a report of archaeological looting; they found a looters' trench that had partly uncovered a painted stucco frieze that had originally formed part of the upper facade of an Early Classic building [1]. The ruins of Balamku cover an area of approximately 25 hectares [1]. The complete frieze measured 16.8 metres long when excavated and stood 1.75 metres high [1]. The frieze combines imagery of rulers with that of a sacred mountain [1].