ANOTHER MEXICO PYRAMID MARVEL— EL TAJIN IN VERACRUZ

El Tajin's Pyramid of Niches (By HistoryHit.com)

As in so many things corresponding to pyramid sites, their origins, and builders, much relies on conjecture rather than fact, especially if no written language was left behind. 

TOTONAC ROOTS

Known as El Tajin to the local Totonacs whose ancestors may have built the city, construction has also been attributed to a tribe related to the Maya. The pyramid site, located in eastern Mexico, is significant in Mesoamerica archeology because of its numerous thoroughly excavated examples of prehistoric sites dating from 600 t0 1200 AD. Timing is everything and the rise of El Tajin came between the fall of Teotihuacan and the rise of the Aztec Empire. It was inscribed as a World Heritage Site in 1992 because its architecture and engineering is of historical significance.

Partial Photo of Grounds

Despite the fact that it's thought to have been greatly damaged if not mostly burned to the ground following an attack in the 13th century by the Chichimecs, a nomadic Nahua tribe, much of El Tajin is extremely well-preserved.

OF THUNDER OR LIGHTING BOLT

The Totonacs, who resided in the eastern coastal and mountain regions of Mexico at the time of the 1519 Spanish invasion, now reside in the states of Veracruz (where El Tajin is located), Puebla, and Hidalgo. The Totanac meaning for the site is 'of thunder or lightning bolt' and relates to a Totonac belief that twelve ancient thunderstorm deities, know as Tajin, still inhabit the ruins. 

However, a series of indigenous maps dating from the time of the Spanish conquest found nearby suggest the city might have been called Mictlan, or place of the dead, a common denomination for ancient sites whose original names have been lost. This name also appeared in part in the Codex Mendoza, a portion of a surviving Aztec tribute record, which claimed El Tajin meant place of the invisible spirits. 

Classic Sites in Relation to El Tajin

CORTES ALLY

Apart from the impressive pyramid site, the Totonac occupy a significant spot in Mexican history for the part they played in assisting Cortes defeat their common rival, Moctezuma and the Aztecs. From 800 AD to 1100 the Totonac controlled the region nestled between the Atlantic and the Sierra Madre Mountains. Consequently, it's thought that they were the first native tribe the Spanish explorers encountered. 

Cortes Arrives in Mexico 1519

But less than 50 years before the Spaniards arrived, the Aztecs conquered them and they lost control of their empires. Forced into the Aztec confederation, they suffered so greatly they made human sacrifices of their own people to their gods for liberation. When Cortes arrived, the Totonac seized the opportunity as an answer to their prayers and yielded to their new Spanish rulers in hopes of shaking off their Aztec overlords. Along with the combined forces of the conquistadors and one other city-state, Cempoala, they defeated their common enemy due to dual fighting power and their knowledge of the Aztecs and their way of life.

A LAND FORGOTTEN

From the time of its fall—around 1235 AD—to 1785, no foreigners knew of its existence until a government inspector stumbled onto the Pyramid of the Niches, considered a masterpiece of ancient Mexican architecture. Impressive due to its size and 365 niches embedded into the entire structure, it revealed the astronomic and symbolic significance of the building's alignment with the calendar system and the night skies. Unique to Mesoamerica, this the site's main building has elaborate carved reliefs on the columns and frieze. Other important monuments at El Tajin include the Arroyo Group, the North and South ballcourts, and the palaces of Tajin Chico. There have been numerous ballcourts discovered at this site, the last three found in 2013. 

Close-Up of Niches (by Mexico Dave)

Major archeological excavations took place in the early 20th century which uncovered more of the city that lay beneath the jungle. And of course the six-stepped pyramid, Pyramid of the Niches, takes center stage of the 20 or so edifices that have been excavated out of what archeologists suggest could be an additional 150 more awaiting excavation. The top of it would have been crowned with a temple. The tiers are full niches—365 to be precise— one for every day in the solar calendar. Archeologists found that the stone reliefs and friezes offered insight into the lives of those who lived in El Tajin.

BALL GAMES OR WAR GAMES?

A particular pastime for which the city was renowned was ball games, depicted in numerous reliefs. Twenty ball courts have been discovered there—the most at any one site to date. In an ominous twist, the reliefs also seem to show that these ball games were related to human sacrifice which took place at El Tajin, leading some to believe the ball was in fact a decapitated head. 

Ball Court at El Tajin

At its height, it was the most important center of the Mesoamerican northeast, and its cultural influence was felt in Mexico's central valleys and plateaus and throughout the Gulf Coast into the Maya region. From 600 to 1200 AD, it was a prosperous city that eventually controlled what is now much of modern Veracruz state. The city-state was highly centralized with the city itself having more than 50 ethnicities. Most of the population lived in the surrounding hills and their food requirements came from adjacent areas that produced staples such as corn and beans and also luxury items such as cacao. One panel at Pyramid of the Niches displayed a ceremony being held at a cacao tree.

An Aerial Overview of El Tajin (By Pryamidomania)

From what archeologists can glean, their religion was based on the movements of the planets, stars, sun and moon with the Mesoamerican ball game and pulque playing extremely important parts.

ANCIENT BEGINNINGS

Archeologists believe El Tajin was first occupied as early as 5600 BC by nomadic hunters and gatherers who evolved into sedentary farmers. Again, the first city builders remain unknown to archeologists though some theories suggest the rise of the city of El Tajin was to keep pace with the rise of the neighboring Olmec civilization, around 1150 BC. Monumental construction started soon after and by 600 AD, El Tajin was a city of some consequence. The site had grown into a large urban complex with significant construction due in part to El Tajin's strategic position along the old Mesoamerican trade routes controlling what is now the modern-day Veracruz state. The flow of commodities, both exports, including vanilla, and imports, came and went from other locations in what is now Mexico and Central America. From the early centuries, excavators found an abundance of objects from Teotihuacan suggesting it was one of their major trade partners.

El Tajin (By Civitatis)

HIDDEN BY THE JUNGLE

El Tajin prospered until the early years of the 13th century and after the fall, the Totonacs established the nearby settlement of Papantla. The sprawling site was left to the jungle and remained covered and silent for over 500 years. Though the city had been completely covered by jungle after its demise until the 19th century, it is unlikely that knowledge of the city was completely lost to the local native peoples. Archeological evidence shows that a village existed there at the time the Spanish arrived and the area had always been inhabited. Though it incorporated into the Spanish regime with comparatively little violence, the region was ravaged by epidemic diseases during the 16th century. Today, 90,000 Totonac speakers reside in the region. 

El Tajin remains an outstanding example of the grandeur and importance of the pre-Hispanic cultures of Mexico. It was a thriving city of major ceremonial importance, a fact illustrated by the numerous Mesoamerican pyramids and other ceremonial structures still seen there today.

If you enjoyed this post, check out Where the Sky is Born: Living in the Land of the Maya, on Amazon. My website is www.jeaninekitchel.com. Books one and two in my Mexico cartel trilogy, Wheels Up—A Novel of Drugs, Cartels and Survival, and Tulum Takedown, are also on Amazon. And my journalistic overview of the Maya 2012 calendar phenomenon, Maya 2012 Revealed: Demystifying the Prophecy is on Amazon.

FIVE FILMS THAT DEFINE MEXICO

Scene from "Roma"

The US's sunny neighbor to the south Mexico, has been the topic of many a film as well as a popular film location. Here are some that inspired me, with a short summary.

ROMA

Filmed in monochrome, this slice of life stunner walked away with an Oscar for Best Director in 2018. Alfonso Cuarón delivers an emotional portrait of domestic worker Cleo's journey set against the prevailing domestic and political violence in 1970s Mexico.

Titled "Roma" after the affluent neighborhood Colonia Roma in DF, though not totally autobiographical, Cuarón says it focuses on his childhood growing up in Mexico City.

The film follows Cleo, a live-in maid, who works for a husband and wife with four boisterous children and a live-in mother-in-law. A houseful, even for the expansive upper-middle class setting we find ourselves, the viewer, in. 

Trouble begins when the father, Antonio, leaves for a conference in Quebec and never returns. Sofia, the mother, doesn't deal well with being left, and Cleo picks up a lot of the emotional baggage left to her to explain to the youngsters why dad didn't return.

Though the family, including parents Antonio and Sofia, love and welcome Cleo into their family, there is a strict dichotomy. At times they shower her with sweet phrases and praise, but she is clearly the hired help and walks a tight rope, being quickly reminded of her position if she steps out of line. 

The film, seen through Cleo's eyes, examines the class divide between races in Mexico, with the upper class whites in charge and people of color as the working class. During a New Year's Eve fiesta in the countryside that the family is invited to, the ranch host's hired help indicate their dissatisfaction with how the system works, signifying the realities of real life in a country so divided by class. It's Cleo's first view of outright dissension among workers.

"Roma" is set against the real life background of a country on the verge of political turmoil. Director Cuarón steps into the magnitude of the turmoil when Cleo and the mother-in-law, Therese, run an errand in the city. They're caught up in the Corpus Cristi massacre, a real event in 1971 where 120 people—mostly students—were murdered at a political demonstration where Mexico's president, Luis Eccheveria, had hired armed thug para-militaries, the Falcons, to beat back the students while police turned a blind eye.

In interviews, the director states that he has based the story on many real parts of his life that he remembers as a boy, and he dedicates the film to his real life nanny, Liboria Rodriguez.

The "New York Times" called it "an expansive, emotional portrayal of life buffeted by violent forces. A masterpiece." 

The emotional final scene at the seashore will stay with you for a long time.

Road Trip Scene from "Y Tu Mama También"

Y TU MAMA TAMBIÉN

In this film, another by Alfonso Cuarón, the background is not something that is separate from the characters—it's an all encompassing force and something that is an important part of the characters' collective unconscious. Not unlike "Roma," it pictures Mexico on the brink of a major political and cultural shift.

 

"Cuarón gives as much importance to the background as to the foreground," said one reviewer. Cuarón's distinctive style is rife with near off-camera scenes that show glimpses of the social environment that surrounds the country. It shows his characters in a world that is much bigger than their immediate world view, and an eye-opener to how society and class in Mexico really work. The adage, "A picture is worth a thousand words," is never more poignant than when Cuarón is behind the camera. 

The film tells the story of three characters—two teen boys and a woman—as they embark on an adventure—a road trip. The teens, on the cusp of adulthood, are always striving for the next best thing: the next girl, next party, next crazy road trip. These acts in themselves become their manifesto. 

But again, just as important as the characters and their yearnings is the background Cuarón shows the viewer. it's the story of a country ten years into adulthood and in the early years of democracy, a young adult itself. 

At times the camera seems to wander away from the action, giving brief glimpses of people who are all part of a shared identity: an old woman dancing by herself, a waitress carrying a tray. Slices of life. Paralleled by the two main characters—Julio and Tenoch—the background scenes are as much a part of this coming of age drama as the coming of age of a country that ends with the ousting of the long-standing PRI political party and its 71-year reign.

Julio and Tenoch also share a cultural identity that is permeated with classism. And the things Cuaró slyly shows us lets us know they are not aware of or even in control of their habits, no matter how much they might repudiate the fact.

When the riot scene occurs, they are still into adolescent desires. The road trip becomes the message as they're joined by a runaway bride, Luisa, ten years their senior. The three share a united desire to reach a beach called Boca del Cielo. Cuarón leads us to the ocean—the metaphor for rebirth. 

But in narrator overviews, we're told how even the paradise they found with Luisa, who serves as a fulcrum for their rites of passage, can be lost. The narrator describes the fate of a fisherman they meet at Boca.

"Fisherman Chùy will try to give tours to tourists but a collective of Acapulco boatmen who supported the local tourism board will block his plans. Two years later he will end up without a boat, as a janitor at a hotel. He'll never fish again."

 

Cuarón exposes how unbridled tourism along with corruption are bi-products of a system gone awry and can also displace paradise. 

The film is a devastating reminder of the impermanence of youth and how one summer can change everything, turning adolescence into a long-gone thing of the past.

In the end, when Luisa parts from them, she says, "Life is like the foam, so give yourself to the sea."

"Against All Odds"

AGAINST ALL ODDS

Though the film location opens in Los Angeles, it soon drives the storyline to spectacular Mexican locations in Yucatán and Quintana Roo, the colorful resort island of Cozumel, Cancun, Tulum, the Maya ruins overlooking the Caribbean, and the famous pyramids of Chichen Itza. Also prominently featured are the jungles of Yucatán. This movie was the first time that permission had been granted by the Mexican Government to use these sacred ruins for a theatrical motion picture. 

Jeff Bridges and Rachel Ward are both fugitives from the corrupt power and manipulation of Los Angeles and for a brief moment, the virgin paradise of Mexico's jungles and ancient pyramids offer solace and redemption. The romantic, other worldliness of the Yucatán provides a setting for them to find each other, something that would not have been possible in LA due to their respective "emotional baggage and class differences," said the director. 

The plot involves Bridges as a pro-footballer with a trick knee. In need of money, he’s contacted by an old acquaintance, James Woods, a shady night club owner, who needs to find his girlfriend Jessie who stole money from him and fled to Mexico. Though reluctant to take the job, Bridges needs the cash even though he's aware Woods could be capable of blackmailing him. Things go sideways in an odd turn of events when Bridges is contacted by the girl's mother, owner of his football team, who promises to double the sum Woods has promised him if he can find her daughter and turn her over to the family, not Woods.

His quest to find the missing girl takes him first to Cozumel where he’s learned the girl is living (Isla Mujeres is the film’s actual location subbing for Cozumel). He finds Jessie; she rebuffs him believing he was sent by her mother or her boyfriend. Bridges prepares to leave, but runs into Jessie who realizes he’s not trying to expose her. She invites him back to her jungle hut and a passionate love affair begins.

If the plot appears too complicated (it is), the filming locations are worth the effort. Based on the original movie titled "Out of the Past" with Robert Mitchum and Kirk Douglas,  "Against All Odds" is not an exact remake. The similarity between the movies is in the cynical love triangle. This time, the bad guy is a gambler, his girlfriend is the daughter of the owner of a pro-football team, and the guy who tracks her down is a team player who's just been fired after a knee injury.

Don’t be sidetracked by the plot. Instead become enchanted with the wealth of beautiful locations—Chichen Itza, Tulum, Cozumel, Isla Mujeres—the film takes you to. Though the plot ultimately works in the end, the true star of this movie is Mexico. And if you've never traveled to that jewel of a country, believe me, you will soon be booking a flight once you see this film. "Against All Odds" shows Mexico's beauty at its very best.

TRAFFIC

At its core, Traffic focuses on three parallel stories interconnected by drugs. One of the stories takes place in Mexico with Benicio del Toro as a police officer entangled in a web of corruption involving high ranking officers and notorious drug traffickers. Across the border we meet Catherine Zeta-Jones, an affluent, pregnant San Diego housewife whose husband is arrested on charges of drug trafficking, leaving her to run the family business.

And across the country, Michael Douglas plays an Ohio judge appointed as new drug czar, not knowing his daughter is a coke addict.

The film is Steven Soderbergh's tenth, and a nod to his ability to brilliantly represent each character in this movie and their motives, be they user, enforcer, trafficker, lawyer, or politician. It's a statement on how drugs cross not only border lines but family, social, cultural, and political lines, tangling all into a grand web of deceit, tyranny, and corruption. Soderbergh won an Oscar for Best Director for the 2000 film.

Kicking off the story, del Toro and his partner stop a drug transport and arrest the couriers. The arrest is interrupted by Mexican General Salazar who wants del Toro to work for him and arrest a kingpin of one of the country's most powerful cartels. It becomes immediately clear that Salazar is corrupt and in the pocket of a cartel competitor, which leaves del Toro hanging. He drags in the DEA and the waters get murkier still.

A high stakes trial is set against Zeta-Jones' husband, and she takes steps to assassinate anyone who will testify against her spouse. When sniper attempts fail, car bombs are employed, and the viewer discovers that, in the jungle, the female is more deadly than the male. As Zeta-Jones's husband is placed behind bars, she crosses the border into Mexico to meet his suppliers. And the beat goes on, and on.

Originally based on a true story from Chennai, India, Traffic was first made into a British TV series about the Afghanistan opium trade titled Traffik.  

Scene from "Night of the Iguana"

NIGHT OF THE IGUANA 

Puerto Vallarta will forever be linked to "The Night of the Iguana," filmed in Mimaloya, a hard-to-access beach ten minutes south and a mere fishing village at the time. Taken from the Tennessee Williams 1963 play, Williams' plot lines, usually mired in Southern US settings, turns this play into a tale of tourists at a seedy Mexico hotel. At the time of the filming, Puerto Vallarta was unknown, but "Iguana" changed that forever. It was PV's coming out party.

With Richard Burton as lead, the bad boy seduces a young acolyte, Sue Lyon, on a tour bus. A scandal breaks out, and consequences lie in the offing. Though Burton is a draw, the fact that he is accompanied on location by his vamp of real life wife Elizabeth Taylor brings the paparazzi out in droves. Ava Gardener co-stars, and Sue Lyon, the ingenue, will eventually succumb to Burton's wiles years later after he and Liz divorce. Of course Williams' plot line is intense and twisted. But the real showstopper, once again, is Mexico. 

BONUS POINTS: THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION

"The Shawshank Redemption"

Though the story line takes place on the grounds of a Maine prison, Morgan Freeman's parting words to Tim Robbins will forever cement this film in our minds as a Mexico movie:

"Zijuatanejo. It's a little place in Mexico on the Pacific Ocean. Do you know what the Mexicans say about the Pacific? They say it has no memory. That's where I want to live the rest of my life—a warm place with no memory."

The final scene showing the two former inmates reuniting on a white sand beach make us yearn to be south of the border, though in fact, that scene was filmed in the US Virgin Islands. But it sure looks like a sub for Mexico to me!

If you enjoyed this post, check out my other works, Where the Sky is Born: Living in the Land of the Maya. It's available on Amazon. And check out my website at www.jeaninekitchel.com. Books one and two in my Mexico cartel trilogy, Wheels Up—A Novel of Drugs, Cartels and Survival, and Tulum Takedown, are also on Amazon. 

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