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!