El Tajin

El Tajin, Again

Dec 2007

This is our second visit to El Tajin; the first being three years ago. There is little active excavation going on so not much has changed other than a few more signs in English describing the scenes. The name "Tajin" is from the Totonac word for thunder and lightning.

El Tajin was first occupied about 100 AD but most of the structures you can now see date from about 600 AD. The city was thriving from 600 AD to about 800 and then saw a gradual decline until it was finally abandoned about 1200 AD.

This is a view from the upper terrace of the city. As you might imagine, this was where the rich people lived. What you can see is only a small part of the city. It covered over 500 acres, although less than half has been excavated. While relatively small in area, Tajin contained more structures than most of the other ancient cities. It could be that the terrain forced the structures to be built much closer together than in other places.

The large open area in the foreground is believed to have been the marketplace. El Tajin was a major trading center.

This is called the Pyramid of the Niches for obvious reasons. It is believed to be some sort of religious calendar since there are 365 of the "niches". Its duty as a calendar was apparently not too important because the stairway was a later addition and covers a number of the "niches".

This was a private home on the upper terrace. It would probably have belonged to a priest or a rich merchant. Entrance is not allowed now but three years ago I saw inside and there were some remarkably well-preserved paintings and carvings on the walls still showing some of the original colorings.

This has been identified as one of the 17 ball courts found so far. Some of the rules of the game have been deduced from the drawings found around the city. The large rubber ball was to be kept in the air but could not be touched by head, hands or feet. It also appears that the leader of one of the four-man teams was sacrificed to the Gods at the end of the game. It is not clear if it was the winner or the loser.

Although it is difficult to see in this picture, the mural shows a player being sacrificed. A priest has a knife at the throat of a player and the player's spirit is drifting upward. The king looks on from his box seat.

Just outside the ruins, five Totonac Indians perform an ancient ritual. The exact purpose of the ritual is no longer known for sure. It was originally performed only once per year but is now done every day for the tourist trade.

These are the five Voladores (Flyers). The one in the center plays a flute and a drum throughout the ceremony. The other four are tied to the 30-meter pole by ropes that are wound around the top of the pole. They are about to do a sort of circular bungee jump.

The Flyers swing around the pole and descend as the rope unwinds. The flute and drum playing continues.

It is difficult to see in this picture but the Voladores have their eyes closed through the whole descent. I wonder why?

Could this be a couple of Voladore groupies?

Also just outside the ruins is a rather large market. The quality seems to be generally good and the prices are very reasonable. Almost everything in the market is hand-made and most of the clothing has large amounts of hand embroidery. As you can see, the majority of the customers are Mexican rather than just us Gringos. What better way to round out your sightseeing day than to go shopping? NOT!

In the nearby town of Papantla, there is a museum commemorating the Voladores with this statue. I can't recommend it very highly. It is difficult to find and to get to though very narrow streets. We found ourselves, more than once, going the wrong way on one-way streets and the last 100 yards is up a very narrow, almost vertical street. I am very glad we were riding in someone else's car and not driving our rig. However, the statue and the view of the countryside is impressive.

El Tajin has to be listed in the Must See column on any trip down the Gulf coast of Mexico. There is a small admission fee but it is free to anyone over 60 years old and free to everyone on Sundays.