El Tajín
El Tajín is an archaeological site that has brought to our days the ruins of the largest city of pre-Columbian America. It is located in Veracruz in the middle of the jungle thickets. This ancient city was built in the first century AD.
El-Tahin, was the main administrative center with a population of about 50 thousand people. On its territory there were more than one and a half hundred buildings. The peak of the city was the period 600-1200. At this time, temples, palaces, pyramids, stadiums were erected. The destruction of the city was a fire caused by an enemy tribe. Surviving residents left the territory and the city became forgotten and abandoned.
This city was unknown for a long time, until the end of the 18th century no one even suspected its existence. The settlement was accidentally found by scientists in the middle of the dense thickets of the jungle. The find was named El Tahin, which means « City of Thunder ». What name the city used to be, no one knows.
To date, more than 50 buildings have been excavated, more than half remains unknown. El-Tahin, as a powerful magnet, pulls archaeologists and lovers of everything unknown to solve the secrets of the ancient city. It turned out that in the architectural style of urban buildings, decorative niches and elements from non-standard cement were used.
In the city center there are a number of pyramidal temples.
The most important building is the Nis pyramid – seven longline structure, which rises to a height of 25 meters. Its main decoration is 365 niches located around the perimeter. It is likely that this number is associated with the number of days per year, and denoted the calendar. At the top of the pyramid was a platform for sacrifices. Previously, the pyramid was decorated with multi-colored plaster. Now, under the influence of time, the building has become one-ton.
Another famous building is the Column building with dilapidated columns, decorated with bas-reliefs and a roof covered with cement slabs. It is also possible to consider long-standing venues and platforms on which sports took place, stadiums where they played various games with the ball, sculptures and household items preserved to this day. A unique find of archaeologists is the laughing face of man.
An amazing ancient city is part of UNESCO's worldwide inheritance as a unique object of culture of ancient civilization.
Nowadays, at the entrance to El Tahin, a museum is located where all archaeological finds are presented, you can also take a walk directly through the city among greenery and ancient pyramids.
