Soon you arrive at one of Mexico's leading oil towns, Poza Rica, or "Rich Hole." This booming town has one industry a huge Pemex oil refinery.
Because of the town's sudden growth, most buildings testify to the haste in which they were built. Oil is king here, and if you happen to forget for a moment, the penetrating stench of petroleum will soon remind you.
Ten miles south of Poza Rica on an alternate highway to Papantla are the ruins of El Tajin, a site rivaling any of the other major archaeological zones in Mexico. Around 800 A.D. the Totonacs settled here, but the site was inhabited as early as the 5th or 6th century.
The seven story Pyramid of the Niches with 364 exterior niches certainly reigns as the most important building. Counting the door to the temple on top as another niche makes 365, probably representing the days of the solar year. In front of the pyramid is a tall steel pole around which the famed Flying Pole Dancers (voladores) from Papantla perform on special occasions. Today, Papantla is the main trading and cultural center of the Totonacs.
A major industry around Papantla and the nearby town of Gutierrez Zamora is the growing and processing of vanilla beans. In June, you'll see the voladores perform as part of a week long fiesta celebrating the sale of last year's vanilla harvest and praying for rain for this year's crop.
Soon you arrive at one of Mexico's leading oil towns, Poza Rica, or "Rich Hole." This booming town has one industry a huge Pemex oil refinery.
The seven story Pyramid of the Niches with 364 exterior niches certainly reigns as the most important building. Counting the door to the temple on top as another niche makes 365, probably representing the days of the solar year. In front of the pyramid is a tall steel pole around which the famed Flying Pole Dancers (voladores) from Papantla perform on special occasions. Today, Papantla is the main trading and cultural center of the Totonacs.
