EL TAZUMAL

The two archaeological sites, El Tazumal and Casa Blanca, are 5 kilometers apart. They were built between 300 and 900 AD, during the so-called Classical Period. However, it is known that Tazumal was occupied as early as 1200 B.C. and that the city had links with geographically distant societies in central Mexico and southern Central America. Metal artefacts dating back to the 8th century were also found, among the oldest in the region. The water drainage system, dating from 300 to 500 AD, is still in operation. Structure 1, one of the latest, evokes the architecture of Teotihuacán in Mexico. You'll also see numerous burial sites discovered in the area. The site was once home to a little-known civilization known to specialists as "tazumalense". El Tazumal is the most visited site, but unfortunate restorations (and road-building!) have discredited its authentic appearance, while the earthquakes of early 2001 seriously damaged the complex.

The museum features the "Piedra de Las Victorias", the Olmec sculpture considered to be the most southerly on the Central American continent (statues discovered on the Zapateras archipelago in Nicaragua also evoke the influence of the Olmecs, the primitive civilization of Mesoamerica), and the statue of the god Xipe Totec. Jade pieces can be purchased from the workshop adjacent to the museum entrance.