El Tajin is not just a place it used to be the most important civilization in the Golf of Mexico. I was very impressed seeing the pyramid of niches – 365 of them-proving that the civilizations know the calendar. It is not that impressive if you realize what was happening at that time in other parts of the world. El Tajin was founded around 100 AD (56 years after Gaius Julius Caesar was killed) All the stuff you can see today is from 600 to 900 AD (Chinese invented porcelain in 650 AD) El Tajin was abandoned in 1200 AD, people probably moved to Britain to see what is this Magna Charta Libertatum.

But back to the site: nothing could be so cruel as living in here. Can you see all these playgrounds for ball games? Well, that’s because people here loved to play-win or die games a lot. On the sculptures around the fields you can see which tools were used for games and for sacrifices. One of them is really a good one - showing how the ribs were broken with stone so the beating heart could be ribbed out. Exited and need some calming down, dear? Well then you should not go to see the Voladores-5 crazy man who climb up the 30 m high metal pole-it used to be wood in earlier times and then after praying to the Sun and to the north and to the south and to the west and to the east bum pum pum and they jump down. Oh yeah did I say they tide a rope around the waist first. Anyway, it still looks good as they swing round head down. They have traditional costume and traditionally they will ask you to pay for looking- so be careful, darling: Looking is not free anymore. Well you can probably give them some money if you were clever enough to hide the camera before purchasing the entrance ticket-as camera permission is expensive but there is no one to check once on site. Adult entrance was 30 pesos-student discount available only if you study in Mexico.

These pyramids are not the most important ones in Mexico or the best-looking ones, but they are nice and almost tourist-less, so if you have enough time and energy, you should have a look at them.

The heat and humidity of the place envelop you from the start, the Market Square amid 4 pyramids. Then you pass to Menor Plaza, with several pelote ballcourts (18 in total in El Tajin). The greco mozaiek in the side walls of the first pelote ballcourt attract the eye.
Onwards, you come across the middle platform of the plaza. West stands a grand pyramid with a statue representing the god El Tajin. South of it another pelote ballcourt with 6 engraved reliefs (3 on either side): a pelote player being held down by another, while a third figure holds up a dagger to strike him, all flanked by the death god and Quetzalcoatl; the initiation of a warrior into the order of the eagles; a pulque ceremony; a penis piercing ritual, ...
Northwest of the plaza menor stands the unique Pyramid of the Niches. From the bottom to the top the pyramid tabluras are divided into niches, big enough to crawl into. In total they should number 365, but several are hidden underneath the later built staircase.
Then you come onto the big plaza, with a pelote ballcourt in the middle of it. It's big enough to allow for a large crowd, the lower classes in the hotter and equal elevation level, the higher and richer classes from above the pyramids and higher and neighbouring Tajin Chico.
As soon as you arrive up on Tajin Chico you can feel the lucky breeze that would have cooled down the houses of the rich dwellers. Several of these houses reminded me of Mitla with the mozaiek patterns en grecos. One of the houses with murals such as those in Cacaxtla is being restored.
El Greco is a large walled plaza, the wall forming a caracol with pelote ballcourts inside. The Greco (the name of this caracol pattern) is the symbol of Quetalquotl.

They're still restoring parts of the site: part of El Greco, the plaza of columns in El Tajin Chico en the house of Rabbit 13 (famous king of Tajin)

It's forbidden to climb most pyramids or buildings... but in that heat of the region that's not regrettable.

Price: 38P
Video Camera: 30P
Transport:
Reachable from Papantla by microbus, which stops right at the entrance, and picks you up there: 9.5P (one way)... Catch the microbus behind the cathedral of Papantla.
Restaurant: moderate price, but rather fat and greasy
Voladores: in front of the entrance, each day
Weather: HUMID AND HOT... The earlier you get there, the better... I arrived at 10 am this morning and felt a bit dizzy because of the heat and humidity. A slightly bigger crowd arrived at around 12.30.

La pyramide de los Niches is one of the main pyramids on the site. With its 365 niches representing the year it was believed that small fires were lit to mark the passing time.

Although the back section is roped off on one side there is a small trail that leads you around this and through to the lesser excavated sections at the back of the site. It's well worth a day exploring even if you are still planning on "doing" the more well known sights such as Palenque, Chitchen Itza, Tulum etc.