El Tajin

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 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 …

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 …

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 …

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.