Los Voladores

As soon as you arrive at Tajin, ask what time the Los Voladores “The Sacred Flyers” will perform, because you certainly don’t want to miss them. (When we visited, there were two performances a day, one in the morning and one in the afternoon). At the entrance to the ruins, there is tall pole with a platform at the top. Five Totonac Indians, dressed in brilliantly-colored costumes representing eagles, climb to the top of the pole. One of men stays on the platform, dancing on the pinnacle and playing a haunting melody; as the others, each attached to a separate rope, step off into space and slowly descend, spinning to the ground as the ropes unwind. A collection is taken for the performers.