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.