El Tajín

El Tajín (el tähēn') [key], ruins, Veracruz state, E central Mexico, representing the remains of a pre-Columbian city-state that flourished in A.D. 100–1200. The site was associated with an ethnic group called the Totonac, and its growth was at first tied with the expansion of Teotihuacán in the Valley of Mexico. Following the decline of the latter after A.D. 700, El Tajín grew in importance. The most impressive relic is the spectacular Pyramid of the Niches (c.600–900 A.D.), which contains 365 niches.

The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2007, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.

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