Mexico Guide
Veracruz
El Tajín
The main reason anyone goes to Papantla (see p.617) is to visit the ruins of EL TAJÍN, by far the most important archeological site on the Gulf coast. The current opinion is that the principal architecture here dates from the Classic period (300–900 AD), declining in the early Post-Classic (900–1100 AD). By the time of the Conquest it had been forgotten, and any knowledge of it comes from archeological enquiries made since the accidental discovery of the site in 1785 – El Tajín remains one of the most enigmatic of all of Mexico's ancient cities.
Despite many years of effort, only a small part of the huge site has been cleared, and even this limited area is constantly in danger of being once more engulfed by the jungle: green mounds sprout from the trees in every direction, each concealing more ruins.
The easiest way to get to El Tajín is from Papantla, 13km away. Buses take around fifteen minutes and can be picked up at the Pemex gas station on Madero, the main road a few blocks downhill from the zócalo (take 20 de Noviembre) – coming from the plaza, buses should be heading to your left (west). Note that any bus to Poza Rica will pass the ruins, though you'll have to walk 500m from the main highway (the junction is known as the "Desviación El Tajín"). Taxis to Tajín from Papantla should cost around M$50, though you can pick them up for about M$10 per person if you share. Both buses and taxis should drop you off at the collection of touristy stalls and cheap restaurants that surround the entrance.
The site (daily 9am–5pm; M$45, M$30 to bring in a video cameras) divides broadly into two areas: Tajín Viejo, which centres on the amazing Pirámide de los Nichos, and Tajín Chico, a group of official residential buildings belonging to the city's ruling class built on an artificial terrace. The site museum has a small collection of the more delicate stonework salvaged from the ruins, notably murals and columns, as well as bits of pottery and some statues – displays are primarily labelled in Spanish, but there are a few English explanations. From the entrance (where, as well as the museum, there's a café and bar), a track leads through a small group of buildings to Plaza del Arroyo, the city marketplace, and into the heart of Tajín Viejo. Before you reach the square in front of the pyramid you pass several ball-courts, the most prominent of which is the South Court, or Juego de Pelota Sur, to your left; it looks like a wide avenue between two small pyramids. There are seventeen such courts known here, and possibly more unexcavated. It's thought that the game took on a greater importance here than at any other known site. We know little of the rules, and courts vary widely in size and shape, but the general idea was to knock a ball through a ring or into a hole without the use of the hands. Clearly there was also a religious significance to the game; here at El Tajín there are indications that there it was also closely associated with human sacrifice: the superb bas-relief sculptures that cover the walls of the South Court include portrayals of a decapitated player, and another about to be stabbed with a ritual knife by fellow players, with Death waiting to his left. Bas-reliefs are a constant feature of the site, adorning many of the ball-courts and buildings, with more stacked in the museum, but these in the South Court are the most striking and best preserved.
The unique Pirámide de los Nichos is the most famous building at El Tajín, and indeed one of the most remarkable of all Mexican ruins. It rises to a height of about 20m in six receding tiers, each face punctuated with regularly spaced niches; up the front a steep stairway climbs to a platform on which the temple originally stood. If you tally up the niches, including those hidden by the stairs and those, partly destroyed, around the base of the temple, there are 365 in all. Their exact purpose is unknown, but clearly they were more than mere decoration: theories include each one holding some offering or sacrifice, one for each day of the year, or that they symbolized caves – the dwellings of the earth god. Originally they were painted black, with the pyramid in red, to enhance the impression of depth. Niches are also present on other buildings at the site, some bearing the attribute of Quetzalcoatl, the plumed serpent, El Tajín's most depicted god.
Around the plaza in front of the pyramid stand all the other important buildings of Tajín Viejo – note that you are not allowed to climb any of them. Opposite is Monumento 3, similar pyramid without niches, and behind it Monumento 23, a strange steep-sided bulk, one of the last structures to be built here. To the right of the Pirámide de los Nichos, Monumento 2, a low temple, squats at the base of Monumento 5, a beautiful truncated pyramid with a high decorative pediment broken by a broad staircase; on the left, Monumento 4 is one of the oldest in El Tajín, and only partly restored.