El Tajín is an ancient site in southern Mexico. It was one of the largest and most important cities during the Classic era in Mesoamerica. Part of the Classic Veracruz culture, El Tajín thrived from 600 to 1200 AD. During this time, many temples, palaces, ballcourts, and pyramids were built. After the city was abandoned in 1230, no Europeans knew about it until 1785, when a government inspector discovered the Pyramid of the Niches.
El Tajín is named after the Totonac rain god. It was declared a World Heritage site in 1992 because of its cultural significance and unique architecture. The buildings use decorative niches and a type of cement not found in other parts of Mesoamerica. The most famous structure is the Pyramid of the Niches. Other important buildings include the Arroyo Group, the North and South Ballcourts, and the palaces of Tajín Chico. A total of 20 ballcourts have been found at the site, with the last three discovered in March 2013. Since the 1970s, El Tajín has been the most important archaeological site in Veracruz for tourists. In 2017, it welcomed 386,406 visitors.
The site also hosts the annual Cumbre Tajín Festival each March. The festival includes cultural events from indigenous and international groups, as well as concerts by popular musicians.
Location
The site is located in Mexico, in the highlands of the municipality of Papantla in modern-day Veracruz, near the city of Poza Rica, which is northwest of the port and city of Veracruz. The city lies in the gentle hills that connect the Sierra Madre Oriental to the Gulf coast near the Tecolutla River. In ancient times, this city was in the northeast corner of Mesoamerica and ruled over an area between the Cazones and Tecolutla Rivers and the modern state of Puebla. The main city is formed by two streams that come together to create the Tlahuanapa Arroyo, a branch of the Tecolutla River. These streams provided drinking water for the population. Most buildings are located in the southern part of the city, where the land is flat and the two streams meet. The site extends to the northwest, where terraces were built to place more buildings, mostly for important people. However, the city also had smaller communities on the hills east and west of the main city, where homes for people with fewer resources were located. The entire site covers 1,056 hectares (4.08 square miles).
The area is a rainforest with a hot and wet climate similar to Senegal. The average yearly temperature is 35°C, and hurricanes may occur between June and October. The region is also affected by a weather event called "nortes," which are cold winds from the north that move along the coasts of Tamaulipas and Veracruz. There are no large towns near the site. The surrounding land includes tobacco fields, banana plantations, bee farms, and vanilla groves. The nearest town of significant size is Papantla.
Name
In 1785, government officials rediscovered the site, which the local Totonac people called El Tajín. This name may mean "of thunder or lightning bolt." The Totonac believed that twelve ancient thunderstorm gods, also named Tajín, still live in the ruins. However, maps created during the Spanish conquest, found in nearby Tihuatlan and called the Lienzos de Tuxpan, suggest the city may have been known as "Mictlan," meaning "place of the dead." This name is also found in the Matricula de Tributos, an Aztec record of taxes that later became part of the Codex Mendoza. This may connect to another meaning of El Tajín: "place of the invisible beings or spirits."
History of the city
Chronology studies at Tajín and nearby areas show that people lived there at least since 5600 BCE. Over time, groups that originally moved from place to place hunting and gathering food became farmers who built more complex societies before the city of El Tajín was established. The pace of this change increased when the Olmec civilization, which existed around 1150 BCE, influenced the region, though the Olmecs did not live in large numbers here. It is unclear which group built El Tajín. Some believe the Totonacs or Xapaneca people were involved, but evidence suggests the Huastec people lived in the area when the settlement was founded in the 1st century CE. Large buildings began to be constructed soon after, and by 600 CE, El Tajín had become a city. Its rapid growth was due to its location along important trade routes in Mesoamerica, allowing it to control the movement of goods like vanilla and cacao from other regions. Objects from Teotihuacan, a major ancient city, are found in large numbers in the area.
From 600 to 1200 CE, El Tajín was a wealthy and powerful city that controlled much of what is now Veracruz state. The city was highly organized, with more than fifty different groups living there. Most people lived in the hills surrounding the city, and food was obtained from nearby areas like Tecolutla, Nautla, and Cazones. These regions produced basic foods like corn and beans, as well as luxury items like cacao. A carving on the Pyramid of the Niches shows a religious ceremony held at a cacao tree. Religious beliefs focused on the movements of the Sun, Moon, stars, and planets, with activities like the Mesoamerican ballgame and drinking pulque playing important roles. This led to the construction of many pyramids with temples and seventeen ballcourts, more than any other Mesoamerican site. El Tajín’s influence can be seen in nearby places like Yohualichan, where buildings share similar designs. Evidence of its reach extends from the Veracruz Gulf coast to the Maya region and into central Mexico.
At the end of the Classic period, El Tajín survived the social collapse, migrations, and destruction that caused many other cities to be abandoned. After the fall of Teotihuacan, El Tajín continued to thrive and kept traditions from that civilization. It reached its peak during the Epi-Classic period (900–1100 CE) before being destroyed by fire, likely caused by invading Chichimec forces. After El Tajín fell, the Totonacs built a nearby settlement called Papantla. The city was buried by the jungle and remained hidden for over 500 years. Although the jungle covered the site until the 19th century, it is likely that local people, such as the Totonacs, remembered its existence. Archaeological findings show that a village existed there when the Spanish arrived, and the area has always been considered sacred by the Totonacs. However, no European records mention El Tajín before the late 18th century.
History of its rediscovery
In 1785, an official named Diego Ruiz found the Pyramid of the Niches while searching for secret tobacco farms that broke the king's rules in a remote area that few officials visited. He drew a picture of the pyramid and told a newspaper called Gaceta de Mexico about his discovery. He said the local people had kept the site hidden. When the Gaceta published news about the pyramid, it caught the attention of scholars in New Spain and Europe. Scholars like José Antonio de Alzate y Ramírez and Ciriaco González Carvajal wrote about the site. The pyramid also interested other academics, who compared it to ancient Roman buildings. The pyramid was later described by Italian Pietro Márquez in Europe and by Alexander von Humboldt.
Since Europeans discovered the site, it has attracted visitors for two centuries. German architect Charles Nebel visited the site in 1831 and was the first to describe and draw the Pyramid of the Niches and nearby ruins of Mapilca and Tuzapan. He also guessed that the pyramid was part of a larger city. His drawings and descriptions were published in a book called Voyage pittoresque et archéologique in Paris in 1836.
The first archaeologists reached the site in the early 1900s. They included Teobert Maler, Edward Seler, Francisco del Paso y Troncoso, and Herbert and Ellen Spinden. When oil was found in the area, roads were built and improved from the 1920s to the 1940s. This made it easier to study the site more thoroughly. Between 1935 and 1938, Agustin Garcia Vega mapped, cleared, and explored the site. He was the first to clear the Pyramid of the Niches of jungle growth. He cleared 77 acres (310,000 square meters), uncovered more buildings, and suggested the site be called "The Archaeological City of El Tajín." From 1938, excavation and reconstruction work was supported by INAH and led by Jose Garcia Payon. He uncovered platforms, ballcourts, and parts of Tajín Chico with its palaces. He studied the site for 39 years until his death in 1977, despite challenges like working in the jungle and limited funds. By then, he had uncovered most of the major buildings and proved that Tajín was one of the most important cities of ancient Mexico. By the 1970s, the site was one of the few in Veracruz state that attracted many tourists. From 1984 to 1994, Jürgen K. Brüggemann continued Garcia Payon's work and uncovered 35 more buildings. It is believed that only half of the El Tajín archaeological site has been uncovered.
World Heritage Site
El Tajín was listed as a World Heritage Site in 1992 because of its historical importance and its unique architecture and engineering. The buildings there are special in Mesoamerica. They have detailed carvings on the columns and frieze. The "Pyramid of the Niches" is a famous example of ancient Mexican and American architecture. It shows how the buildings were connected to the stars and had symbolic meanings. El Tajín is one of the most important places in Mexico and the most important in the state of Veracruz.
The site is important because of its size and the unique styles of art and buildings there. The exact borders of the city's residential areas are not yet known, but the whole site covers about 2,640 acres (10.7 km²). So far, only about half of the city's buildings have been uncovered. These buildings include plazas, palaces, and administrative buildings in a two-square-mile area. Unlike other ancient cities in Mexico's central highlands, which had strict grid patterns, the buildings at El Tajín were designed as separate units. Some architectural features are found only at El Tajín or rarely elsewhere in Mesoamerica. Decorations like niches and stepped frets are common, even on simple structures like buttresses and walls. Stepped frets appear in other parts of Mesoamerica but not as often as here. The use of niches is unique to El Tajín.
One special building technique at El Tajín was using poured cement in molds. Fragments of a roof from Building C in the Tajín Chico area show how cement was used. Since there were no beams to support it, the roof had to be very thick. To make it lighter and stronger, pumice stones and pottery pieces were mixed into the cement. The cement was poured in layers, not all at once. Some experts think the buildings were filled with earth to help support the roof while it dried. The finished roofs were almost a meter thick and very flat. This type of cement roof is common today but was rare in ancient Mesoamerica. Impressions of baskets, tamale wrappers, and other items were found in the dried cement. The poured cement was used in Building B, the only two-story building at the site, as a roof and to separate the ground floor from the upper floor. The only other known example of two-story buildings is in Mayan areas. Another shared feature with the Maya is the use of light blue paint. Some homes at El Tajín also have windows placed to let cool air in on hot days.
Ballcourts are common in Mesoamerica, but El Tajín has seventeen. Two of these courts have carved panels showing the ball game and its religious meaning. The most detailed panels are on the South Ballcourt. They show images of gods from the underworld and a ballplayer who is shown being decapitated to ask for pulque for his people.
Since becoming a World Heritage Site, research and conservation projects have been started to protect and learn more about the site. Many studies, reconstructions, and visitor access improvements have taken place. However, the director says more work is needed to protect the site, especially its fragile murals, and to balance the needs of tourists with the need to preserve the site. Each year since 1992, the number of visitors has grown, reaching 653,000 annually.
Air pollution from oil-drilling platforms and power stations along the coast causes high levels of acid rain in the area. This acid rain is damaging the carved reliefs on the soft limestone buildings "very quickly," according to Humberto Bravo of the University of Mexico's Center for Atmospheric Sciences in 2007.
Major monuments
The entrance to the site is at the south end. After becoming a World Heritage Site in 1992, new facilities were added here, such as a cafeteria, information services, a park, and administrative offices. The site museum is also located here. In addition, the Danza de los Voladores is performed at the entrance and is required for visitors. The performers appear every half-hour at a pole and circle outside the main gate.
The park is named Parque Takilhsukut and is located about one kilometer outside the site. It is a modern facility designed to be a center for Veracruz indigenous culture. It covers 17 hectares and can hold 40,000 people. It hosts events like fairs, conventions, and part of the annual Cumbre Tajín cultural festival in March. It also includes spaces for workshops, exhibitions, alternative therapies, seminars, and ceremonies.
The site museum has two sections: an enclosed building and a roofed area with large stone sculpture fragments. The enclosed room displays smaller objects found during site exploration, mostly from the Pyramid of the Niches. One notable object is an altar from Building 4. It is a large stone slab showing four people standing in pairs, with a figure of intertwined snakes between them. The snakes represent the ball game marker called the tlaxmalacatle in Aztec times. The roofed area displays fragments from the Building of the Columns, some of which are partially reassembled. One fragment shows 13 Rabbit, a ruler of El Tajin who likely built the structure. The scene depicts 13 Rabbit seated on a throne with his feet on a severed head. In front is a sacrifice victim with his entrails over a frame. 13 Rabbit’s name glyph and an attendant named 4 Axe are also shown. The rest of the scene includes warriors holding captives by their hair.
This area is called the Arroyo Group because two streams surround it on three sides. It is one of the oldest parts of the city, covering more than 86,100 square feet (8,000 m²). It is surrounded by four tall buildings (Buildings 16, 18, 19, and 20) topped with temples. Stairways lead from the plaza floor to the temples above. Unlike other parts of the city, these buildings are uniform in height and nearly symmetrical. The pyramids here are simpler than others, with less detailed niches. The east and west pyramids each had three temples at the top. This plaza has no smaller buildings or altars, which suggests it was the city’s marketplace. The large open space was suitable for stalls, and a deity linked to commerce was found here. The marketplace sold regional items like vanilla, as well as goods from other parts of Mesoamerica, such as jaguar skins, parrots, macaws, and quetzal feathers. Slaves were also sold here. West of the building on the south side is a large ball court with sloped sides and carved friezes showing the god Quetzalcoatl. When the city fell, many sculptures here were broken or defaced, and some were reused as building materials.
This pyramid is known by several names, including El Tajín, Pyramid of Papantla, Pyramid of the Seven Stories, and the Temple of the Niches. It is the site’s focus because of its unique design and good preservation. It was important in ancient times, and many sculptures were found here. The pyramid has a square base, 35 meters on each side, and is built in seven levels. It is mostly made of carefully cut flagstones, some weighing up to eight metric tons. The stones fit tightly with little mortar. The structure was originally covered in stucco, which served as a base for paint.
The pyramid has seven levels, each with a sloping base wall called a talud and a vertical wall called a tablero, a common feature in Mesoamerica. What makes this pyramid unique is the addition of decorative niches with triangular overhangs, called "flying cornices" by Jose Garcia Payon. The stones are arranged in neat lines and balanced proportions. The structure was originally painted dark red, with niches in black to emphasize their depth. Niches are also found under the stairway on the east side, showing the stairway was added later. The original structure has 365 niches, matching the number of days in a solar year. At the top of the pyramid were tablets framed by grotesque serpent-dragons.
The pyramid’s main purpose was not related to calendars. The deep niches resemble caves, which were considered entrances to the underworld, where many gods lived. Caves, especially those with springs, were sacred in Mexico, with offerings like flowers and candles. Beeswax candles were still found on the pyramid as late as the mid-20th century. A popular belief was that each niche held an idol, but archaeological work has disproven this. The most important part of the structure was the temple on top, but it was completely destroyed, and little is known about its appearance.
Sculptures from the temple are mostly broken. Larger tablets show the rain god or a ruler dressed as the god in ritual or mythological scenes. This god appears frequently at the site, showing his importance. The stairway to the temple is decorated with frets, called xicalcoliuhqui, which symbolize lightning. These were likely painted blue, as paint remains were found on other buildings. At the top of the stairway were two large three-dimensional stelae. One survived and is now in the site museum. Near the pyramid are large round stones with holes, where banners may have been placed. The inside of the pyramid is filled with rocks and earth, packed between the
The Cumbre Tajín event
The Cumbre Tajín is an annual festival that celebrates art and culture. It takes place at El Tajín in March and is an important event for the Totonac people, who are seen as the protectors of the site. The festival includes activities from Totonac traditions, as well as modern arts and events from other cultures, such as Tibet. Events include music concerts, visits to El Tajín at night, theatrical performances, and experiences like the temazcal. More than 5,000 activities are offered during the festival. Many cultural, craft, and food-related events happen at the nearby Parque Takilhsukut, which is just outside the archaeological site. In 2008, 160,000 people attended the festival, which featured performances by artists such as Fito Páez, Ximena Sariñana, and Los Tigres del Norte. Thirty percent of the money earned from the event is used to provide scholarships for Totonac youth.
In 2009, the festival added the Encuentro Internacional de Voladores (International Encounter of Voladores). For five days, voladores from different places perform at poles set up at the site. The goal is to show the different costumes and styles of the groups and to share information about the fertility ritual. Voladores come from locations such as San Luis Potosí and Guatemala.
Some people have criticized the Cumbre Tajín for focusing more on modern performances than on cultural events. One concern is that the pyramids are lit up at night without explaining their historical or cultural significance. Critics believe this may not respect the site or the Totonac people. There are also worries that large crowds attending events like concerts by artists such as Alejandra Guzmán could harm the site. However, the Centro de Artes Indígenas de Veracruz says it works hard to protect and promote Totonac culture through the festival. It supports events like traditional cooking, painting, and the Voladores ritual.