Clyde

3.00 Malta - 12-Jul-24 -

I visited El Tajin in March 2024 just before the Cumbre Tajin event and after a very near miss during COVID-19 times. All COVID restrictions have been lifted although the local museum on-site is closed more often than not due to the never-ending protests and strikes. Although this WHS does not receive the same amount of tourists as Teotihuacan or Chichen Itza, after renting a car in Mexico City the night before, I decided to rest at a motel just outside Papantla just a few kilometres away from the ruins to head there first thing in the morning. Surrounding the ruins are tobacco fields, banana plantations, apiaries and vanilla groves.

Just in front of the entrance to the ruins, every 30-60 minutes the voladores do their incredible ritual ceremony, itself a UNESCO intangible cultural heritage. Just after the museum and ticket booth, to the right is the brass UNESCO WHS inscription plaque. From there to the farthest point you can visit, it will take a good 20-30 minutes of non-stop walking, so even with very few stops for photos and to explore the site I would say that at least a couple of hours to half a day are required to view the whole ruins without any strict COVID restrictions in the year round rainforest climate. Keep in mind that El Tajin was named after the Totonac rain god for a reason, and all types of weather phenomena and natural disasters occur here.

El Tajin is one of the largest and most important cities of the Classic era of Mesoamerica which flourished from 600 to 1200 AD. During this time numerous temples, palaces, ballcourts and pyramids were built. The most striking and distinctive feature of this WHS is the use of decorative niches and cement in forms unknown in the rest of Mesoamerica. Its best known monument is the Pyramid of the Niches, but other important monuments include the Arroyo Group, the North and South Ballcourts (the most important of a total of 20 ballcourts discovered here) and the palaces of Tajín Chico. A fire started by lightning almost destroyed the latter, but painstaking restoration efforts are underway to save the beautiful murals and sculptures.

Fragments of coloured stucco (blue and red) are still visible on a few elongated niches on the stairs of the Blue Temple and Red Temple pyramids. The Arroyo Group got its name from the two streams that surround it on three sides. This area is one of the oldest sections of the city and is flanked by 4 high buildings which were topped by temples. Stairways lead from the plaza floor to the temples above. Unlike the rest of the city, these 4 buildings are uniform in height and nearly symmetrical. The pyramids here are primitive in comparison to the rest of the site, with niches that are not as finely formed.

Perhaps the most striking structure of this WHS is the seven storey Pyramid of the Niches (photo). The structure originally was covered in stucco which served as the base for paint. A large quantity of sculptures were recovered from this pyramid and are now on display in the on-site museum but mostly in the National Anthropology Museum in Mexico City. The niches on the original structure, not counting those on the later stairway, total 365, a clear reference to the solar year. At the top of the pyramid there were tablets framed by grotesque serpent dragons. The ritual function of the building is believed to not be primarily calendaric. The deep niches imitate caves, which have been considered to be passageways to the underworld, where many of the gods reside. Caves, especially those with springs, have been considered sacred in much of Mexico with offerings of flowers and candles being traditional. As late as the mid 20th century, remains of beeswax candles could still be found left on the first level of this pyramid. There is a popular belief that each niche contained an idol or effigy but archeological work here has ruled this out. The most important part of the structure was the temple that once stood on top of this pyramid.

Just next to the Pyramid of the Niches, lies Building 5, considered to be the stateliest of the El Tajin ruins. It is located in the center of a pyramid complex and consists of a truncated pyramid rising from a platform. Access to the top of the pyramid, where the temple once stood, is via a double staircase on the east side. The top of the pyramid contains two platforms, both of which are decorated with stepped frets. Between the two sets of staircases on the first level on the east side is a tall column-line sculpture which had been thrown down from the top of the pyramid in ancient times and broken. Archeologists reassembled it at the spot in which it was found. At the North and South Ballcourts make sure to check out the intricately carved panels at the corners and centers of the two walls. The most striking one shows a ballplayer being beheaded.

Overall I really enjoyed this WHS and it was well worth the extra effort to make it there. As a precaution to avoid disappointment and be on the safe side, I would suggest checking out the weather forecast before heading there and also give INAH a call a few days before (if not on the day) to make sure the site is open and no strikes or protests are going on!

Els Slots

3.00 The Netherlands - 23-Mar-22 -

The reopening of El Tajin in mid-February prompted me to rearrange the final days of my 2022 Mexico / Central America trip. Instead of flying home from Cancun, I returned to Mexico City and took a 3.5h bus for an overnight stay in Poza Rica. From Poza Rica, a taxi took me to El Tajin: it is only 18 kilometers and it takes half an hour. I paid 200 pesos on the way up there, and 180 on the way back. Beforehand I did some desk research on buses/collectivos as well: they apparently leave from terminal El Parador, just south of the city center.

Only 500 visitors per day are now allowed (they’ve extended the numbers and opening hours a bit since Shandos visited), but that doesn't stop the souvenir sellers from unpacking all their stalls. They might as well be with 100 people as well.

I got there a little after the opening hour of 10 a.m., and there were already about 50 other visitors. Of the three parts the site consists of, Tajin Chico and the Group of Columns are not accessible at the moment. The small museum is also closed. The Tajin Complex, which can be visited, is the most monumental though.

With the exception of a few "normal" pyramids at the beginning of the site, the buildings with the niches that are so typical of El Tajin stand out. The niches are made of stacked flagstones. Why they were added to the designs is a bit of a mystery, they probably weren't filled with statues or anything. They may depict caves and the entrance to the underworld.

The inhabitants of El Tajin loved the Mesoamerican ball game. Or maybe they once organized the Precolumbian Olympic Games? No less than 20 courts have been excavated here, in a city that had a population of about 15,000-20,000. At the corner of one of these fields is a frieze showing a ball game player about to be beheaded (photo).

Some of the ruins still have remnants of their original red color. There is also one with light blue paint residue.

When you walk here, it really feels like a city: it is densely built up and there are streets connecting those ball game courts. The archeological remains comprise the administrative and ceremonial center of the city; the common people lived on the surrounding hills. The two most beautiful buildings stand side by side at the far end of the site – the stately Building #5 and the Pyramid of the Niches. The latter has no less than 365 niches. It looks a bit unstable as if a major hurricane would topple it. But that slight imperfection makes it all the more interesting in my opinion.

Read more from Els Slots here.

Shandos Cleaver

3.50 Australia - 21-Feb-22 -

After a long closure due to Covid and a hurricane, reports came in early February 2022, while we were still in central Mexico, that El Tajin had re-opened. Not that you could tell from the government website, which still said it was temporarily closed. But reviews on Google Maps clearly showed recent visitors, as well as providing the information that the site was only open Monday to Friday, 10am to 4pm, with a maximum of 300 visitors per day.

When arriving at the site, the impact of the hurricane couldn't be seen, although whether due to the hurricane or Covid, the area of the site that you could visit was smaller than for previous visitors. After working out only one person per group could line up at the ticket office, we then followed a set circuit route around the site, ropes and signs restricting access. (Even the Unesco plaque was outside the roped path...)

After visiting numerous pre-Hispanic cities in central Mexico, the lush green grass and forested surrounds of El Tajin made for a picturesque change. The two highlights of our visit were the Pyramid of the Niches and the panels on the side of the Juego de Pelota Sur depicting an imminent beheading. However, access to Tajin Chico was completely restricted (maybe there was hurricane damage up there?) and in only an hour we wrapped up our visit.

To access El Tajin, we made a three day trip from Mexico City via public transport. It's probably possible in two depending on bus timetables (at least if you stay in Poza Rica), definitely if you have a private car. After initially planning to stay in the city of Poza Rica, we switched to staying in the smaller town of Papantla, closer to the site and more atmospheric according to previous visitors.

There were also clearer instructions on where in Papantla to catch a bus to El Tajin, but we discovered that it of course wouldn't be so simple... After discovering the information was incorrect, we received various instructions (that were difficult to understand with our limited Spanish) on where to get a bus or collectivo (or probably a more expensive taxi). We eventually found the collectivos to El Tajin (shared taxis with a "Tajin" sign in the front window) on Artes, just west of the park. It cost us 80 pesos for two people to El Tajin, then 100 pesos to return.

At least it's true that Papantla is a lovely small town. During our visit multiple festivities occurred, whether in preparation for the upcoming Festival Cumbre Tajin or just part of regular Sundays (and Mondays!), including a Voladores performance, other traditional dances, and some kind of concert. In Papantla you'll likely stay at the suitably named Hotel Tajin, one of the few hotels in town on Booking dot com. While centrally located and with a pool, we found it rather overpriced and dated.

Solivagant

3.50 UK - 12-Apr-08 -

El Tajin may not be amongst the most famous of Mexico’s pre-Hispanic WHS but is well worth a visit unless you have surfeited on the others! Its location near the Gulf coast means that the vistas behind the inevitable pyramids are of tree clad hills rather than semi desert and the atmosphere is likely to be hot and steamy!

As you enter the site you will pass a high “Voladores Pole”. You have a chance here to see this spectacular ritual performed (photo 1) – you will be accosted and told when the next performance is (a “donation” is expected if you stay/return)! The pole here is metal and the event set up for tourists but it is better than nothing if you are not in a village where it is performed with a wooden pole as part of a local fiesta (We saw preparations such a performance over Semana Santa in the “Popocatapetl Missions” WHS of Tetela del Volcan). There are also performances across from the entrance to the National Anthropological Museum in Mexico DF.

El Tajin was the only site in Mexico where I was able to get my “over 60’s free entry” –everywhere else it has been limited to Mexican citizens and registered overseas residents. Otherwise entrance is 48 pesos (c US$4.5 in Mar 2008).

The site and museum take around 2-3hrs to visit at a fairly leisurely pace. The site’s “peak period” lasted between around 300-1100 AD and it was unused by the time Cortes landed some distance down the coast towards Vera Cruz. The usual ball courts and pyramids are well represented. The route for visiting, shown in our 1990 Michelin guide, was no longer open and, in common with all Mexican pre-Hispanic sites other than Teotihuacan, the climbing of pyramids has been forbidden. Similarly the “underground passage” in “Building D” was closed. The most famous sight is that of the “Pyramid of the Niches” (photo 2). It is one of the structures used by Mexico generally to advertise its pre-Hispanic past and has appeared on its (and Panama’s!) stamps – so you may “know” it! There are supposed to be 365 “niches” (we didn’t count them!) with of course an astronomical significance. There are also some interesting and historically quite important (for understanding the rituals of the game) carvings on the walls around the “South Ball Court”. Large parts of the site haven’t been excavated and it is worth going across to the “Gran Greca” area where the jungle is still partly in control!

The peoples who built El Tajin were Totonacs and the notices around the site have explanations in the local language as well as Spanish and English (Monte Alban was the only other pre-Hispanic site we saw on this trip to do the same for its local language). We asked a nearby guardian and she said that she spoke very little Totonac but nearby Papantla is the tribe’s stronghold and the Voladores come from there.

Erik

USA - 20-Jul-06 -

Arriving early on a Tuesday, I was nearly alone as the fog created an atmosphere of magic that increased as I moved through the site. The birds were still singing as I entered the ball court with base relief images. I continued to be astounded when I arrived at the pyramid of the niches. Walk up the hill and image a busy day centuries ago as you look down upon the religious site. Stay as long as possible before reentering the 21st century outside the gates.