Not Another Sports Stadium!

Nancy and I strolled through El Tajin, a large archeological complex north of Veracruz. The city flourished from 600 to 1200 C.E., although it had been inhabited since 5600 B.C.E. It was the dominant city of what is now the state of Veracruz. Its builders remain a mystery. Like Cempoala (see previous post), the site was abandoned in 1230 C.E.

Although only a portion of the site has been excavated, its scope and imposing stone structures are impressive. Unique to this site are “niches.” One structure, the Pyramid of the Niches, contains 365 recessed niches, one for each day of the year.

Seventeen ball courts have been uncovered, more than any other site in Mesoamerica. These guys must have loved sports, like a town with a basketball court on every other corner.

While El Tajin's structures are impressive, for some reason they did not speak to our hearts. The site seemed dreary, and the buildings lacked the breath-taking beauty and sacred sense we have felt in other Mexican ruins we have visited.

Or maybe it was a message telegraphed through the ages from one of the women of El Tajin, hands on hips, scowling, "What! Not another sports stadium! We need better schools!"

Becky