El Tajín

El Tajín flourished between roughly the ninth and thirteenth centuries in the humid lowlands of northern Veracruz, and its architecture belongs to no other Mexican tradition: buildings covered in deep square niches that throw sharp shadows, the finest being the Pyramid of the Niches, whose seven tiers carry three hundred and sixty-five recesses, almost certainly a calendar. The site holds seventeen ballcourts, an unusual number, several with carved panels showing what happened to the players afterwards. Outside the entrance, Totonac voladores perform the flying pole ceremony, in which four men descend head-down on ropes from a thirty-metre pole while a fifth plays a flute at the top, a ritual UNESCO also recognises separately.

What you actually see

• The Pyramid of the Niches - seven tiers with three hundred and sixty-five recesses.
• The ballcourts - seventeen of them, with carved panels of the ritual.
• The voladores - the flying pole ceremony performed at the entrance.
• Tajín Chico - the upper residential and administrative complex.

When to go

November to April is the drier season; Veracruz lowlands are hot and humid year-round with heavy rain in summer. Mornings are best before the heat. The voladores perform through the day at the entrance, with more frequent shows at busy times.

Honest expectations

It is a long way from anywhere on the usual routes, four hours from Veracruz city and further from Mexico City, which is why it sees a fraction of Teotihuacán's visitors. Heat and humidity are heavy and shade is limited. The voladores perform for tips rather than a set fee, and the pole itself is beside the car park rather than in a ceremonial setting.

Nearby

Papantla and its vanilla plantations are nearby; the Gulf coast is an hour east.