El Tajín

Located in the state of Veracruz, El Tajín was at its height from the early 9th to the early 13th century. It became the most important centre in northeast Mesoamerica after the fall of the Teotihuacan Empire.  

Its architecture, which is unique in Mesoamerica, is characterized by rows of square niches on the sides of buildings, numerous ball courts and sculptures depicting human sacrifice connected with ball game. The most impressive building is the "Pyramid of the Niches". The site is divided into five zones: Grupo Plaza del Arroyo, Central Zone, Great Xicalcoliuhqui, Small Tajin and the Column Complex.  

Further it's famous for its Voladores performances that are performed almost daily for visitors. It's a sort of slow-motion bungee jump from the top of a vertiginously tall pole. The rite begins with five men in elaborate textile costumes climbing to the tope of the pole. Four of them sit on the edges of a small, square frame at the top, arrange their ropes and then rotate the frame to twist the ropes around the pole. The fifth man dances on the tiny platform above them while playing a chirimía, a small drum with a flute attached. When he stops playing, the others fall backward in unison. The symbolic meaning is a fertile rite and the fliers make invocations to the four corners of the universe before falling to the ground, bringing with them the sun and rain.