El Tajín
El Tahin is an archaeological site that has preserved the ruins of the largest city in pre-Columbian America. It is located in the state of Veracruz in the middle of the jungle. 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. There were more than one and a half hundred buildings on its territory. The peak of the city's heyday was the period 600-1200. Temples, palaces, pyramids, and stadiums were built at that time. The destruction of the city was a fire caused by an enemy tribe. The 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 midst of dense jungle thickets. The find was named El-Tahin, which means "City of Thunder." No one knows what name the city used to have.
To date, more than 50 buildings have been excavated, more than half remain unexplored. El Tahin is like a powerful magnet that attracts archaeologists and lovers of the unknown to unravel the mysteries of the ancient city. It turned out that decorative niches and non-standard shaped cement elements were used in the architectural style of urban buildings.
There are a number of pyramidal temples in the city center.
The most important building is the pyramid of Niches, a seven–tiered structure that rises to a height of 25 meters. Its main decoration is 365 niches located around the perimeter. There is a possibility that this number is related to the number of days in the year, and indicated the calendar. There was a sacrificial ground at the top of the pyramid. Previously, the pyramid was decorated with multicolored plaster. Now, under the influence of time, the building has become monotonous.
Another famous building is a columned building with dilapidated columns decorated with bas-reliefs and a roof covered with cement slabs. It also provides an opportunity to examine old playgrounds and platforms where sports competitions were held, stadiums where various ball games were played, sculptures and household items that have survived to this day. A unique find of archaeologists is a laughing human face.
The amazing ancient city is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site as a unique cultural object of the ancient civilization.
Nowadays, there is a museum at the entrance to El Tahin, where all the archaeological finds are presented, and you can also walk directly through the city among the greenery and ancient pyramids.
