El Tajín

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El Tajín

The El Tajín archaeological site is located in the municipality of Papantla, in the north-central region of the state of Veracruz, Mexico, in the foothills of the Sierra Madre Oriental. The name Tajín means "thunder" in the Totonac language. It was originally a great urban center that flourished from around 800 to 1150 ce. The region is currently inhabited by the Totonac people, although their ethnic relationship with the pre-Hispanic peoples who built El Tajín has not been fully established. The architectural features and ceramics found on the site are different from those that generally characterize the Totonac culture, which has been known since the arrival of the Spaniards and whose features are clearly identifiable in Cempoala and Quiahuiztlan. For this reason, archaeologists prefer to distinguish the two, and speak of an El Tajín culture.

The ruins of El Tajín were discovered in 1785, then excavated from 1938 to 1963 by José García Payón, who restored some of the buildings and set up the bas-reliefs of its South Ball Court. In addition, between 1984 and 1992, Juergen Brueggemann uncovered and reinforced fifty of the approximately two hundred structures that make up the site. Murals were found in both ceremonial and residential buildings. The city was laid out on a natural slope. Its central area was reserved for ceremonial activities, and is made up of pyramid-shaped buildings that served as a base for temples lined up in sets, forming plazas, along with seventeen ball courts. The higher ground was most likely used by the elite to live and work.

El Tajín inherited the traditions of Teotihuacan design, such as its use of slopes and panels, and added niches and cornices to create its own recognized style. Its most outstanding buildings are the Pyramid of the Niches, decorated with 365 niches, and the Great Xicalcoliuhqui, a wall that encloses a series of pyramidal platforms and whose layout resembles a squared spiral, a theme that is repeated throughout the entire site. Equally notable are the bas-reliefs that illustrate mythical scenes and rituals in panels and friezes, as well as the historical and epic tales sculpted in its columns. These scenes each name a relevant character, among them 13 Conejo (rabbits), who appear in the garb of a governor and as a ball player.

This archeological site is presently under the care of INAH (Mexico's National Institute of Anthropology and History), and the region has an infrastructure that is adequate for tourism.

See alsoCempoala; Tenochtitlán; Totonacs; Veracruz (State).