El Tajín , ruins, Veracruz state, E central Mexico, representing the remains of a pre-Columbian city-state that flourished in AD 100-1200. The site was associated with an ethnic group called the Totonac, and its growth was at first tied with the expansion of Teotihuacán in the Valley of Mexico. Following the decline of the latter after AD 700, El Tajín grew in importance. The most impressive relic is the spectacular Pyramid of the Niches (c.600-900 AD), which contains 365 niches.
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The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition 2008
The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. Copyright 2008 Columbia University Press
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